Cedar Rapids woman going for Mrs. America crown

A Cedar Rapids mother of three will represent Iowa on Sept. 24 at the 39th Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas.

Jessica Gardner, the activities director at Prairie Hills Senior Living in Cedar Rapids, said she had been asked to take part in the competition on a few occassions, but it didn't seem to be the right time.

'I really wasn't able to ask myself the question: why do you want to be Mrs. America or Mrs. Iowa? I honestly didn't know why,” Gardner said.

It wasn't until she started working at Prairie Hills that she found the answer.

'The residents here have brought so much joy into my life and I have gotten so much gratification out of serving this population of people,” she said. 'I wanted to become an advocate of sorts for them and because of that, they became my ‘why' for wanting to compete.”

Gardner's platform for the pageant is enriching the lives of the elderly. At Prairie Hills, she organizes pastimes such as gardening and fishing.

In mid-June, she hosted a fashion show fundraiser at Prairie Hills to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. During the event, she modeled her opening number dress, evening gown and interview attire.

A week later, she was crowned Mrs. Iowa America.

'I definitely want to make sure that people understand that although this is fun and glamorous for me, and I enjoy that aspect of it, I ultimately want to make my year a year of service to other people, especially to the elderly population and their caregivers,” Gardner said. 'I'm hoping to use the crown as a vehicle to deliver a message that may not otherwise be heard.”