The Friends Foundation's main source of fundraising is children's benefit pageants. Rather than focusing on beauty or charm, however, the pageants focus on helping those less fortunate than ourselves, community service, and 100% participation. Cans with pageant participants' names and pictures on them are placed in the community for "voting" purposes. At the designated end of the pageant and fundraiser, all the participants in the various age groups are recognized and appreciated publicly, usually on stage at a local carnival or festival. Awards and acknowledgements are given for those who participated as well as any company sponsors, and usually some sort of media coverage is supplied by local newspapers or news shows.
The Heart of Gold Pageants therefore accomplish more than just fundraising, they become a topic of conversation among the participants, their friends, and their families, raising awareness and education, the primary task of the Friends Foundation.
