Pint-sized ‘Princess’ excels at charitability

Isabella Murphy, 6, of Valley Stream, is finding success in the world of pageantry, and is discovering the world of volunteerism in the process.

The William L. Buck Elementary School first-grader was crowned National Exemplar Queen Princess in the America’s Miss contest in September, the first to earn the newly created title. The pageant is an interview-based competition, and Murphy’s title was designed for a candidate who demonstrates community service.

The little volunteer isn’t short on that — she has held a charity drive for children with lupus, got involved in the Color A Smile project, which distributes children’s drawings to seniors and troops overseas, and developed her own organization, Bella’s Blankets. She gave her first blanket to a fellow pageant titleholder named Tatyana, to comfort her during a hospitalization.

Murphy’s mother, Jayme, said that the experience has imbued her daughter with a sense of social responsibility and provided an opportunity for new friends. “It has built up her confidence,” she added.

Murphy’s accrued community service hours qualified her for the gold level of the federal President’s Volunteer Service Award program, which she was awarded earlier this month. Her pageant win also netted her a cruise to the Bahamas with her sister queens.