Hello Beautiful Souls, my name is Graciela Rodriguez, I am your Miss South East Los Angeles. On August 8th I am vying for the Miss California United States title because I would like to expand my platform as a water educator/activist. Serving my community, state and entire nation as a water educator is my calling in life so much so that I was born on WORLD WATER DAY, March 22. When people ask me why I chose this platform I like to say that this platform chose me. My journey to where I am now has taken every twist and turn, but no matter where I landed, no matter how much I resisted, it always brought me back to one thing...water. As a 29 year old and at the "cut off age" for the Miss category, it is my last opportunity to come home as a Miss title holder so I AM GIVING IT MY ALL but I need your help to cover the costs associated with my run and my mission. I am mostly creating this fundraiser page because I work closely with organizations that expose the challenges in the water world such as the lack of knowledge that plastic bottled water is toxic and that Skid Row has been suffering from dehydration since COVID shutdowns began. A portion of the money raised will go back to the unhoused community on Skid Row in such a way where we continue to provide hundreds of gallons of freshly poured alkalized water for them. Click on the youtube link to see our latest movement! I am thrilled to represent my community and to continue spreading awareness on how we can better consume/treat our water. Thank you so much for your support, this is for SELA! Lots of love and appreciation-"Gracie"