As a contestant for the 69th Urbanna Oyster Festival, Sarah Laster and her Little Miss Spat co-contestant, Paisley Duke, devoted their summer to something much greater than a competition. Together, they spent their time giving back to the community, educating others, raising money, and bringing awareness to the Middlesex Department of Social Services’ Helping Hands program.
What began as a project for the festival quickly became an experience that touched many different parts of their community. Through educational outreach, environmental service, and the generosity of local businesses, organizations, friends, and neighbors, Sarah and Paisley worked to make a meaningful difference in Middlesex County. Throughout the summer, they discovered that community service is not simply about how much money you can raise or how many people you can reach. It is about making people feel seen, reminding them that they are not alone, and using the opportunities you are given to make your community a better place.
Sarah chose Helping Hands as her project because she realized that the program was not widely known throughout Middlesex County. She wanted to bring attention to a resource that can make a real difference in the lives of local families and individuals who are experiencing difficult times, especially when there is no need for families to go through difficult times. Sarah believes strongly that people cannot take advantage of resources they do not know exist.
One of the most meaningful parts of their summer was her work with the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association, also known as TOGA. Every Wednesday, Sarah worked at YMCA/APYC Camp Kekoka in Kilmarnock alongside TOGA members, including Captain Doug Schafer and Dr. Richard Siciliano, to teach approximately 400 children about the Chesapeake Bay, oysters, and the wildlife that depends on it. Through hands-on activities and educational experiences, the children learned about the importance of protecting the Chesapeake Bay and preserving its ecosystem for future generations. The two of them were able to see firsthand how powerful education can be when children are given the opportunity to learn outside of a traditional classroom. Watching them become excited about oysters, wildlife, and the Bay reminded Sarah that protecting the environment begins with teaching the next generation why it matters, especially with a rising first grader by her side.
Sarah and Paisley also found creative and enjoyable ways to raise money for Helping Hands. One of their most memorable fundraisers was making the viral “dot cakes” that were popular on TikTok. What started as a fun activity turned into an opportunity for Sarah and Paisley to work together, learn something new, and raise money for an important cause. The two had so much fun decorating the cakes, and Paisley quickly became a pro at frosting them and adding colorful sprinkles. With permission from Jeannie White Duke, they were able to sell the cakes at her farm stand in Saluda.
Their efforts, along with the support of BeeWell Flowers & More, helped raise approximately $90 for Helping Hands. Although $90 may seem small compared with some of the larger donations they received, Sarah believes that every dollar matters. More importantly, the experience showed her that fundraising does not always have to be complicated.
The community continued to show incredible generosity and support throughout Sarah and Paisley’s project. Ryman’s Inc. Cooling and Heating Inc. donated $250 after reaching out to Sarah and expressing their support for Helping Hands. Tony Pullman and River Woodworks contributed $200, Hatton Homes made a generous donation of $750, and the Middlesex Moose contributed another $1,000. Each donation was a reminder to Sarah that the people of Middlesex County genuinely care about their neighbors. These businesses and organizations did not have to support her project, but they chose to because they believed in the purpose behind it. Their generosity demonstrated the power of a community coming together around a shared goal. Sarah is incredibly grateful to every person, business, and organization that contributed to the project, whether they donated hundreds of dollars, purchased a cake, donated a pair of shoes, shared her message, or simply took the time to learn about Helping Hands. Every contribution helped spread the message that no one should have to face a difficult time alone.
Sarah also launched a GotSneakers fundraiser, encouraging community members to donate gently used shoes. Instead of allowing old shoes to end up in landfills, the shoes are collected and recycled while helping raise money for the Helping Hands project. This fundraiser gave Sarah another opportunity to connect her project with something she cares deeply about: protecting the environment. Because the Chesapeake Bay is such an important part of Middlesex County and the surrounding community, Sarah wanted environmental stewardship to be a part of her summer of service. Collecting shoes allowed her to show that helping people and helping the environment do not have to be separate causes.
Although the fundraising, environmental work, and community service have all been important parts of this experience, Sarah says the greatest impact has been the relationships she has built along the way. She explains that this experience has impacted her in a way she cannot even fully put into words. The Oyster Festival has given her much more than a project to complete or a title to work toward. It has given her people who have become incredibly important to her. Through her experiences, Sarah has built what she describes as a lifelong sisterhood with her former Oyster Festival Queen, Olivia Major, and she hopes to create and continue that same meaningful bond with Paisley. These relationships have shown Sarah that some of the most important parts of a community project are not always the things that can be counted.
Sarah recognizes that after the festival is over, Queens and their Spats sometimes go their separate ways. However, she hopes that will not happen with her and Paisley. Sarah does not want Paisley to remember her only as her Queen or as someone she worked with during the Oyster Festival. She hopes Paisley will think of her as someone who will always be there for her. Sarah wants to be someone Paisley can look up to, depend on, talk to, and come to for advice. She wants to be the kind of big sister figure who celebrates Paisley’s accomplishments, encourages her when things become difficult, and reminds her of her worth when she needs to hear it. To Sarah, that kind of relationship would mean more than any crown, title, award, or amount of money ever could. A crown can be taken off at the end of a festival, and a title eventually belongs to someone else, but the relationships and memories created along the way can last a lifetime.
Throughout the summer, Sarah and Paisley learned that community service is about much more than raising money. It is about bringing people together, educating others, building relationships, creating opportunities, and reminding people who may be struggling that they are not alone. Every donation, every pair of shoes collected, every cake sold, every child taught about the Chesapeake Bay, and every conversation about Helping Hands became another small piece of a much larger purpose. Sarah learned that service does not have to be perfect or enormous to matter. Sometimes the smallest actions can have the greatest impact because they inspire someone else to care, participate, or help another person. The summer taught Sarah that being involved in your community means being willing to step outside of yourself and recognize the needs of the people around you.
Sarah and Paisley are incredibly proud to represent their community during the 69th Annual Urbanna Oyster Festival. Their summer of service has shown them that even small acts of kindness can create a lasting impact when people work together. By choosing Helping Hands, Sarah has been able to shine a light on a program that she believes deserves to be known throughout Middlesex County. Her hope is that because of this project, more residents will know where to turn when they are facing a difficult time and will feel comfortable asking for help. She hopes that people will remember the name Helping Hands not simply because they heard it during an Oyster Festival campaign, but because they understand what it represents: neighbors helping neighbors when life becomes difficult.
Most importantly, Sarah hopes her project leaves the community with one simple message: help is available, and no one in Middlesex County should feel like they have to face a difficult time alone. Through Helping Hands, Sarah and Paisley are proud to have helped their community come together, spread awareness, and demonstrate that kindness can go a long way. What started as an Oyster Festival project became something much more personal and meaningful to Sarah. She has learned that the greatest rewards of service are not always measured in dollars raised, awards received, or crowns worn. They are measured in the people you meet, the lives you touch, the lessons you teach, and the relationships you carry with you after the project is finished. As the summer comes to an end, Sarah knows that the memories she has made with Paisley, Olivia, the community, and everyone who supported Helping Hands will stay with her long after the 69th Annual Urbanna Oyster Festival is over. For Sarah, that is what this experience has truly been about, not winning a crown, but becoming part of something bigger than herself and learning that sometimes the most beautiful thing you can give someone is simply a helping hand.
Sarah has been on the Middlesex High School cross country team, competitive cheer team, sideline cheer team, basketball cheer team, scholastic bowl team, and soccer team. Throughout her years on these teams she has made a ton of accomplishments such as: first team all region for soccer, second team all district for soccer, and has had the opportunity to run at the state meet every year while being on the cross country team. Throughout her freshman and sophomore year she worked at Little Jimmy’s, and for the last two summers she has been a camp counselor at Camp Kekoka.
Sarah maintains a 4.0 grade point average and has been awarded the Superintendent’s Dean’s List every year she has been in high school. She is currently at Bridging Communities where she is working towards obtaining her CNA license. She is planning to go to Christopher Newport University to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a Nurse, there she will get her BSN and RN. Her long term goal is to be a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Nurse.
Sarah is the daughter of Conley Clark IV, and Erin Lynne Laster; granddaughter of Dr. Sara Nair James, Conley Clark Laster III, Jack Tanner, and Anita Bourgeois.
Paisley Duke, Sarah’s Little Miss Spat, is daughter of Matt and Brittany Duke; granddaughter of Donnie and Mary Daniel, and the granddaughter of Jerry and Jeannie Duke. She enjoys being with her family and her dog, Smokey. She loves playing with her Barbies, loves playing dress up and putting makeup on, loves helping her daddy with the football team and going to church. When she grows up she wants to be a teacher.
