Summary: (Roanoke, Va.) – Mrs. Great Plains International, Maggi Thorne, 33, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was crowned Mrs. International 2014, Saturday, July 26 at the 29th Annual Mrs. International Pageant held in Jacksonville, Florida. The two-hour event, held at the Moran Theater at the Times Union Center for Performing Arts, featured 64 contestants from around the world competing in three categories, including interview, fitness-wear and evening gown. Thorne was crowned Mrs. International by her husband, Fred, before a sold-out audience. A committed global advocate, Thorne will spend her year as Mrs. International promoting her platform, Soles4Souls, an award-winning non-for-profit organization that is committed to wearing out poverty through the simple gift of used shoes. Thorne is an international spokesperson for the organization and will travel the globe to impoverished countries delivering shoes to those in need, as well as continue to build national partnerships with professional athletic teams, speak with global branding partners, and race in the OCR United World Championship and Warrior Dash World Championship to raise awareness and funds for the organization. Thorne began her work with Soles4Souls in 2013, and in one year, has made a significant contribution to the organization by breaking a world record for the most shoes collected -- 21,000 in all-- initiating three national partnerships with a racing series (what is the name of the series) and two partnerships with NFL teams. Additionally, she competed on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior to bring visibility to the efforts of Soles4Souls. Thorne is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. Originally from San Diego, California, she was recruited nationally by Division I schools after winning the California 100 Hurdle State Championship.
