Yeah, it's a competition, not a pageant. And sure, she'd really like to win it.

But the most important thing is the platform, because that's what allows for a greater sharing of the message.

Lancaster Township resident Kristen Hertzog will participate in the upcoming Mrs. Pennsylvania America competition. She's using it as a way to promote her work for the education and gainful employment of underserved individuals, both here and abroad.

"I would like to win because then I get to expand my reach, my platform for bringing about greater access to education and employment to the underserved and the underempowered," said Hertzog, who's currently the reigning Mrs. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "For 30 years, my heart has been with the people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. It's a place of desperate and dire need."

"But as Mrs. Pennsylvania, my focus would have to be on the local community as well, working with local organizations who are focused on gainful employment," added Hertzog. "There are so many folks who are doing these amazing things here in Lancaster County."

A contest for married women who want to make greater impacts on their communities, the Mrs. Pennsylvania America competition will be conducted on Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. at Mickey's Black Box Theatre, 101 Rock Lititz Blvd., Lititz. Hertzog is one of 10 women representing cities across the state and vying for the title.

"It's very focused on community development, as well as professional development," said Hertzog of the competition. "I would say that I'm very competitive as a businesswoman. I'm very involved in making a difference in the lives of others. It's more like I'm willing to do the hard work. When you build five libraries in Haiti, you've got to have tenacity."

The crowning of Mrs. Pennsylvania America is based on the competitors' performance in three different disciplines: an interview focusing on the contestants' personal and professional lives; grace and poise; and overall fitness, how each individual takes care of herself physically and mentally.

"We all have a purpose, and some of our purposes have a lightning bolt in them," said Hertzog. "Sometimes we can overlook the message of the vision. It's important to me that people understand that we can all make a difference. Are we living for ourselves or are we living for other people?"

Hertzog's life has been a journey, one filled with the typical challenges and rewards, the requisite number of ups and downs. But her life's course was changed as a teenager, when she was struck by that proverbial lightning bolt during her first excursion to Haiti.

"When I was 16, I went on a church mission trip to Haiti," said Hertzog. "I was with a group of Americans walking from point A to point B. A Haitian woman came up to me and handed me a filthy, crumpled-up towel. When I opened it up, inside was a beautiful little Haitian girl. I started screaming."

"Later, we found the lady and she said, 'I thought you could give my baby a better life in America,'" continued Hertzog. "It was a very transformative moment. There was something very meaningful about it for me, and it never left. I think if that hadn't happened my life would've had a totally different trajectory."

For additional information about the Mrs. Pennsylvania America competition, email Hertzog at kristenhertzog@gmail.com.