Chanel Beckenlehner vyed for Miss Universe

January 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

Cedar Mills resident Chanel Beckenlehner drew a lot of attention with her gown, but it wasn’t enough to advance her Sunday night.
Miss Universe Canada 2014 was unsuccessful in her bid to be crowned Miss Universe in Doral, Florida.
The contest was won by Miss Columbia, Paulina Vega.
Beckenlehner, 26, gained notoriety with the gown she wore in the preliminary competition. She wore an outfit based on a hockey theme, complete with hockey sticks, a net and even a score board.
She won the Miss Universe Canada title in May. At the time, she said that while it was essentially a beauty pageant, humanitarian work is a major part of the program.
There are two major charities that she’s been very involved with.
One is SOS Children’s Village, an independent, non-government organization which is active in addressing orphaned and abandoned children’s needs, concerns and rights. Another cause she’s enthused about is Operation Smile, which is aimed at providing corrective surgery to children in Nicaragua with cleft palates.
In addition, Beckenlehner is motivated to help with awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, which she said is part of the official platform of the Miss Universe program, and which is an issue she spent a year studying at University of Toronto.
“I really felt in tune with the subject and it made me realize how important our health is,” she said during the summer. “Without your health, you’ve got nothing.”
Beckenlehner is a woman of many interests. She enjoys golfing, and is also active in dressage, having trained at the Federation Equestrian International level and competed nationally. She’s been riding since she was two.