Mayor Issues Proclamation Honoring Miss Jones County and Her Platform of Inclusion

Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee met with Miss Jones County Karsyn Ulmer on Friday morning to present her with a proclamation recognizing her for her efforts towards creating a more inclusive community especially for those with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Ulmer has created the Joycie’s Journey campaign in honor of her great aunt Joyce who was born with cerebral palsy. “Joycie’s Journey is a social impact campaign that is all about creating a community that is welcoming, uplifting and inclusive” Ulmer stated.

This summer, Ulmer, who is from the Sharon community, will travel to Vicksburg to compete with 30 other young women from around the state for the title of Miss Mississippi.

The proclamation read as follows:

Whereas, Miss Karsyn Ulmer has been named Miss Jones County 2022 and wishes to promote her platform of enabling the disabled through education, social involvement, and job creation; and

Whereas, Miss Ulmer’s interest in enabling the disabled was inspired by her Great Aunt Joyce who was born with several disabilities, including cerebral palsy, but who was never disabled because her community enabled her. Her Aunt Joyce was offered a job at a flower shop which gifted her with a feeling of normalcy, and despite being in a wheelchair, Joyce was accepted by the community with open arms; and

Whereas, in order to make a difference in the special needs community, Miss Ulmer seeks to normalize that those with special needs desire a life filled with opportunity and purpose and that such awareness must begin at an early age which is why she authored a children’s book, Joycie’s Journey, which tells the story of her Aunt Joyce as a princess and teaches the valuable life lesson that no two people are the same, but it is those differences that make us beautiful; and

Whereas, Miss Ulmer has also partnered with Bird Dog Café in Laurel, a small business that intentionally employs and creates opportunity for people with disabilities; her role has been to work as a liaison with the self-containment class at West Jones High School to educate high school graduates with special needs about local job opportunities; and

Whereas, Miss Ulmer plans to continue her efforts to ensure that the message of Joycie’s Journey is known and heard whether it is in her role as Miss Mississippi, Miss Jones County or simply as Karsyn Ulmer, she has created a website for Joycie’s Journey where job opportunities and social events for the special needs community are posted and updated daily; and

Whereas, the City of Laurel desires to support Miss Ulmer in her efforts to create environments that are welcoming, uplifting, and inclusive to those with special needs

Now, therefore, I, Johnny Magee, Mayor of the City of Laurel, do hereby declare May 27, 2022, as a day to support Joycie’s Journey and encourage all citizens to join me in recognizing the value of this program and to offer our support and encouragement to Miss Ulmer as she competes in the Miss Mississippi Scholarship Pageant.

In witness thereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the city of Laurel, Mississippi to be affixed this the 27^th day of May A.D. 2022.