CATRIONA GRAY SET TO HOLD CHARITY BALL, SERVE AS MISS U COMMENTATOR ANEW

FORMER MISS UNIVERSE CATRIONA GRAY CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK TO the nonprofit that inspired her to compete in pageants in the first place, after seeing their potential as a platform for helping others.

- By Nathalie M. Tomada

Catriona is set to hold her fundraising event titled "Catriona Gray's Legacy Ball" for the benefit of the kids at her long-time charity, Young Focus, on Nov. 22 at the City of Dreams Manila Ballroom in Paranaque City.

"Young Focus has changed my life in such an incredible way. I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't crossed paths with this organization. Maybe people don't know this, but meeting Young Focus, seeing their work and being on the ground with them opened my eyes to the potential of pageantry as a platform to help more. If not for Young Focus, I might not have competed in pageants. I'm serious—I don't think I would have," she told The STAR.

"As a casual volunteer, I'm one person making a difference, but I wondered how I could help more. I saw how pageantry could amplify a message and provide a platform for women to stand for what they believe in. Without Young Focus, I wouldn't be here, doing what I love and growing as a person. Working with them, learning from them, and being inspired by them has changed my life profoundly."

Among the memorable experiences she had with Young Focus kids, including her time with them recently at DreamPlay, what perhaps would stand out the most was her first time working with the nonprofit at their headquarters in Smokey Mountain, Tondo.

"It was my first time to walk through the area and it really just impacted me so deeply just because, of course, the visual aspect of a lot of temporary houses. It's quite overwhelming...in terms of how these families are living their day-to-day lives. It really gave me a lot of context. One, was to see the communities these children and their families come from and the challenges that they face in pursuit of education," Catriona said.