FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Schoolchildren across the globe hand out Valentines every Valentine’s Day, but one little princess from the Pee Dee made and delivered more than 500. Gabrielle Cox hand-delivered Valentines to five different nursing homes in Florence on Thursday.
Gabrielle is the current Little Miss Cayce, but this July, she’s competing for the title of Little Miss South Carolina. To qualify, one requirement is community service. Twenty hours are required, but Gabrielle’s already up to 200 hours.
“Gabrielle had the idea of doing a lot,” said her mom Shandi Cox.
“She said ‘I want to have a goal’ and I said ‘what is your goal going to be?’ and she said ‘can we do 500?’ and I said ‘wow that’s a lot of cards,'” said Shandi.
“Thank goodness her sisters and brothers have helped her a little bit, but she’s done a big part of it,” said Shandi. “I’ve been very proud of her. She’s set her goal and she’s going to reach it.”
Gabrielle does other projects, but none have had the effect like a hand made Valentine. One person Gabrielle gave a Valentine to was Ann Crook, who’s a resident at Elmcroft of Florence assisted living facility.
“It’s very heartwarming. Of course, Valentines Day is very heartwarming anyway. You get a message from someone that cares about you,” said Crook. “I think it’s extremely nice. And little Gabrielle, she’s adorable. She is so precious. She deserves to be called a little crown queen, and I love her Valentine.”
The Little Miss South Carolina Pageant runs July 13-20 at the Hartsville Center Theater.
