Mac Duggal Gives $60,000 in Gowns to Homeless Miss USA Contender

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A beauty queen left homeless a month after being crowned Miss Colorado, has been given $60,000 worth of dresses by a Burr Ridge-based designer that was moved by her plight.

Denver-born Blair Griffith was crowned Miss Colorado in October only to find herself out on the streets following a string of financial disasters.
But after meeting the 23-year-old in January, fashion designer Mac Duggal felt compelled to help and decided to donate a selection of gowns, enabling her to compete for Miss USA this June.

The past year has proved challenging for Miss Griffith, as just weeks following her pageant victory, she and her mother, Bonita Griffith, were evicted from their house. Shortly afterwards she lost her job as a sales assistant in a department store.
She said at the time: 'It was just very hard seeing everything, all of my belongings, my dresses that I wanted to compete in at Miss USA thrown into a trash bag and nowhere to be found.'

Despite money troubles from the age of 14, after her father died of prostate cancer, she has remained positive.
She told WLS-TV: 'To me, I just see them as things that make me a stronger person.
'They're obstacles that I have to get over, and I have to focus on accomplishing my goals and my dreams and not focus on these negative things that can happen.'

As a single parent, Mrs Griffith had a heart attack three years ago, and as she was uninsured, she was faced with high medical bills on top of mounting student loans and housing payments.

Now it seems her daughter's positive attitude has paid off as Mr Duggal flew the pair to his store to choose a selection of dresses, worth an estimated $60,000.
One of the dresses will be worn by Miss Griffith when she competes in the Miss USA pageant on June 19 in Las Vegas, where Mr Duggal will also be present.

· Chicago Designer Donates $60,000 Worth of Gowns to Homeless Beauty Queen So She Can Compete in Miss USA [Daily Mail]