City College Students to Compete in First Annual Mr. Worcester Pageant

Celebrity judges include Congressman McGovern, Mayor Petty, City Councilor Sarai Rivera

The first annual Mr. Worcester pageant will be held on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Coral Seafood on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester.  Hosted by the Working for Worcester project and the Worcester Student Government Association, candidates from the College of the Holy Cross, Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Becker College, Clark University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), will compete to determine who will win the crown and title of Mr. Worcester 2014.  Contestants will compete in three rounds: talent, interview and formal wear; and will be judged by a panel of local celebrities: James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for the Hanover Insurance Group Jennifer Luisa, and Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine Donna Roberson.

A $10 admission fee ($5 with a college ID) includes food, complimentary raffle tickets, and an evening of family fun and engagement between city residents and students.  Raffle prizes include a luxury suite for eight at the Demi Lovato concert at the DCU Center, an iPad mini and an assortment of gift card to local cafes and restaurants.

All proceeds will go to the Working for Worcester project this spring, which is working to renovate 20 community recreation sites across Worcester and promote wellness among youth. “The Mr. Worcester event is designed to be a social engagement that brings together residents and area college students,” says Holy Cross senior Jeffrey Reppucci, founder and CEO of Working for Worcester. “We came up with the idea after watching the Ms. America pageant this fall. We thought, what better way to bring people together than to round up Worcester's finest and make them strut their stuff for their community!”

Reppucci says the event is also meant to raise awareness for the Working for Worcester spring project and build support, while promoting their partnership with the newly launched WSGA. “As much as we are pumped to laugh and have a ton of fun at the pageant, the real passion for the organizers of the event is to mobilize resources to renovate important recreation spaces all over the city this April,” he says.