With attentive eyes and upturned lips, bundles of children stare in awe, intently listening as stories of experience and encouragement unfold.
Pageant queens worldwide not only display their talents and style but aim to impact society through Community Service Initiatives (CSI). From hunger and homelessness to education for all, women competing under the Miss America organization work tirelessly to positively affect those around them.
“I lost both of my uncles within the same year to Opioid Use Disorder. They were in their teens when the addiction started, so I understand how important it is to educate our youth,” Texas High freshman Olivia Dowd said. “I already had programs in place to educate teens, but the littles would not benefit as much from school programs, so I [developed] the idea to write a book.”
Dowd’s use of simplicity and illustrations to bring awareness to all ages highlights her effort and dedication to inform others on preventing rather than dealing with the consequences.
“[The story] encourages responsibility, smart decision making, and awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse in a way that makes sense to young children,” Dowd said. “The message aligns with my platform, ‘One Pill Can Kill’, reinforcing the idea that even one mistake can be fatal.”
As Miss Lake O’ the Pines Teen, Dowd recognizes the importance of advocating for those unaware of the effects of opioid use to create a significant impact. Throughout her journey, she saw the necessity for a strategy to educate children in an engaging manner.
“Knowledge is power when it comes to opioid abuse,” Dowd said. “School programs are the best at educating teens; [however], there wasn’t anything for littles that I could find, so I decided to create my resource.”
The several-month process, though extensive, allowed her idea to begin construction. As the boxes of planning, writing, and promoting got checked off one by one, Dowd grew closer to making her dream a reality.
“I first came up with what I wanted my book to share and [the] characters I wanted to highlight, then I wrote my story line,” Dowd said. “The storyline was the longest process, I went through over 10 scrapped [ideas] before I came up with the final [one]. I then used multiple online software programs to illustrate the pages, [and] finally my book went through Amazon’s publishing process.”
‘The Medicine Bottle’ released on March 19, 2025. Dowd already connected with classrooms and community members to spread the story of Kory and Lucas.
“The story walks through the everyday life of brothers, named after my uncles. While out playing, they find a pill bottle and don’t know what to do with it,” Dowd said. “After talking about their options, they decide that taking the bottle to their mom and letting her decide what to do with it is the best option. Their mom tells them that they made a very smart choice and lets them know what could’ve happened if they made the wrong choice.”
Dowd’s idea turned actuality serves as inspiration for herself and those around her. Featuring a materialistic way to educate those of all ages reinforces her CSI and clearly establishes her commitment to her community.
“My book was created to educate the community, starting with the younger generation,” Dowd said. “When the community is involved, people are more likely to make responsible choices and look out for one another.”
