You got me. I totally owe you guys, I know that. I apologize for not having blogged yesterday. I promise to make it up to you tomorrow with two entries, one for “today” technically, because this one’s for yesterday, and one for tomorrow!
I’m absolutely thrilled to be writing about the woman I am focusing on tonight. She is, once again, a Latina powerhouse. Dayanara Torres was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and was “discovered” on the streets of her hometown at age 17. Soon after, she represented Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant– and won.
We could definitely use her gorgeous face for our spina bifida awareness campaign (and postage stamps, maybe?).
Torres went to the Philippines to crown the next Miss Universe a year later– and ended up staying in Manila for the next four years, even learning to speak Tagalog, the country’s official language.
During and after her reign as Miss Universe, Dayanara immersed herself in many worthy charitable efforts, among them becoming an international ambassador for UNICEF.
Her official Web site states, “In 1995 she endowed the Dayanara Torres Foundation which provided aid and scholarships to destitute families in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.”
Currently, Ms. Torres serves on the boards of multiple non-profit organizations, including the March of Dimes, and Fundación Sonrisa (“The Smile Foundation”), which provides corrective surgery to children with facial deformities in Puerto Rico. She also contributes to the Children’s Hope Foundation, an organization that assists children and mothers affected by AIDS.
The Boricua beauty is also a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Dayanara’s got a winning combo– brains, beauty, and a heart of gold. Her life so far may seem like somewhat of a Cinderella story, but it’s clear she lives to make others’ dreams come true.
God Bless,
Laurita ♥
