The newly-crowned Miss America from Wisconsin says she will work to improve family relationships for those with loved ones who are in prison.
On Saturday night, 23-year-old Laura Kaeppeler of Kenosha won the Miss America crown and a $50,000 scholarship during the pageant in Las Vegas. She’s the first Miss America from Wisconsin since Terry Ann Meeuwsen in 1973.
Kaeppeler’s father spent 18 months behind bars for mail fraud. She said she will encourage families in similar situations to improve ties and move forward together.
Kaeppeler says she wants children of incarcerated adults to feel like they are not alone. She wants to make sure they have access to mentors and are able to have as much of a relationship with their parents as possible.
Kaeppeler, who won the Miss Wisconsin pageant last summer, said there are more than two million children with parents in jail.
