Ocean Pines, Md. - Ocean Pines resident, Janet Stephenson, is using her unique skill to raise money for children in need. She is a quarter-finalist in Colossal's Face of Halloween competition, which is a fundraiser for the Starlight Children's Foundation.
Stephenson says her spooky makeup skills began during the 2020 pandemic, when she spent time honing them through an online class. When she saw the Face of Halloween competition show up on her Facebook feed, she says she had to sign up.
"I'm a huge Halloween fan," said Stephenson. "I love painting my face, dressing up for Halloween, and I read about it and immediately thought, I want to do this. It's in my wheelhouse to dress up and be the face of Halloween."
People can vote for Janet once every 24 hours, or donate to the foundation to give her more votes. She tells WBOC she is amazed by the community's support.
"When my dashboard appeared again, I could see that there's 14 people in my group and I was in fourth place this week, this week. So I got on Facebook and I said, oh no, you guys, I'm in fourth place," said Stephenson. "Immediately I saw all my people voting and I had two people make two really big contributions, and it got me up in first place again."
The Starlight Children's Foundation helps sick children and their families gain support in hospital with things like colorful hospital gowns and care packages. If Janet wins the competition, she will also receive a cash prize and a trip to Los Angeles.
"It's not about the scariest face and the best makeup. It's about raising money for the kids," said Stephenson. "Who would have thought, sitting in my kitchen having fun painting my face during Covid, when the whole world was scared, it would have turned out to be something like this. Raising money for the Starlight Children's Foundation."
To vote for Janet or donate to the Starlight Children's Foundation, click here.