GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WALA/Gray News) – Family and friends are mourning the loss of a pageant contestant who was killed in a tragic car crash in Florida.
On Monday, 18-year-old Kadance Fredericksen, who was the Miss Okaloosa County Teen representative at the 2024 Miss Florida Teen USA pageant was killed when her vehicle crashed into a tractor-trailer.
“She gave us an infinity in the amount of time that she had,” said Cassie Brown, a friend of Kadance. “I’m forever grateful for that little infinity that she gave us.”
Fredericksen’s legacy reaches far beyond tonight. Her own childhood experiences inspired her to start a charity dedicated to helping children in need.
In 2017, Fredericksen started ‘Kada’s Promise,’ a charity that provides teddy bears and blankets to children in foster care, homeless and abuse shelters and hospitals.
“When I was little, I was abused and neglected by my biological mother and stepfather,” explained Fredericksen during an interview in 2024. “During those times, the only thing I had to call my own was a stuffed animal I received as a gift years beforehand. Now that I’m in a safe home with a safe family, I learned I wasn’t the only kid that went through that.”
Her charity gave out more than 12,000 teddy bears and blankets worldwide to children who endured abuse or trauma.
Fredericksen was named Little Miss Northwest Florida in 2017 and used her platform to raise $25,000 for the Ronald McDonald House.
Copyright 2025 WALA via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=67b9b6f516e14be999b49f34e5bc3cd8&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtvy.com%2F2025%2F02%2F21%2Fshe-gave-us-an-infinity-miss-teen-usa-pageant-queen-killed-tragic-car-crash%2F&c=7903538695424905452&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2025-02-21 13:40:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
