VSP Regional Vice President, Frank Romeo and daughter Maggie Sue, winner of Regis & Kelly's Most Beautiful Baby Contest.
“It all started with a random photo taken by my wife Dana in our backyard,” explains VSP’s Frank Romeo as he shares behind-the-scenes events that unfolded over the course of a whirlwind week in New York.
LIVE! with Regis and Kelly was holding a baby photo contest, looking for one child to appear on the cover of Parenting Magazine for the 2010 Beautiful Baby Search.
“Our goal was to just have the photo posted on the Regis and Kelly photo gallery with thousands of other photos. My wife Dana checked the Web site weekly but never saw the photo.” says Frank, a VSP regional vice president in Georgia.
The photo that started it all.
Then, the week began to unfold…
Monday, March 1
The top 10 semi-finalists were revealed on the show, and Maggie Sue Romeo was in the Top 10!
“The online voting started immediately and with the help of friends and family [and thousands of online voters] Maggie made the Top 5! The show producers called Dana right after the show and [according to the contest rules for the week-long event], gave her four hours to get to the airport to New York. I was traveling on business, so my mother-in-law made the trip with Dana and Maggie.
Maggie hams it up for the photographer.
I was able to make it to New York for the shows to meet the top 5 andthe final show with the reveal. Dana and I met Tom Hanks, Apolo Ohno, and other celebrities. I confirmed that I’m taller than Regis.”
And the winner is…Maggie Sue Romeo!
Cover of the next issue of Parenting Early Years magazine
“For Maggie, the experience meant eating cookies on the plane, riding in a taxi without a car seat, coloring photos for her new friends, sitting in Kelly’s lap, playing kitchen in the green room, missing a couple of naps, going on a trip without her big sisters, playing with the balloons after the show, going to the Toys”R”Us in Times Square, eating ice cream with every dinner, and playing dress up at the Parenting Magazine studio.”
Maggie with mom Dana.
Maggie will appear on the cover of Parenting Early Years. LIVE! has partnered with Gerber to provide her with $125,000 to be used toward a college education. “The big $125,000 cardboard check (a ‘lollar folership’ which is a 3-year-old’s way of saying ‘college scholarship’) is great for chasing sisters around the house. It was truly a great experience and a lot of fun.”
Congratulations to Frank, Dana, and Maggie Sue!
U did fabbbbulous litl girl!! (: I love u!!!