Karmel Larson
Mrs. Utah United States 2009
Karmel Larson was selected as the new Mrs. Utah United States on April 25th, 2009 at the Covey Center For Performing Arts in Provo, UT. This was Karmel's first time every participating in a pageant. She was drawn to the program for the emphasis placed on promoting a platform.
Top five from left: Carol Ann Guest-4th runner up, Laura Dugovic-2nd runner up, Karmel Larson-Mrs. Utah 2009, Amber Braithwaite-1st runner up, Carol McCulloch-3rd runner up.
Photo by Chad Braithwaite-Faces Photography
Her platform is "Declaring Decency: Engaging civic leaders, educators and families in a T.E.A.M. effort to stand for decency." Team is an acronym for treatment, education, activism and monitoring. Karmel has set specific goals in each area. She will be a leader of leaders, focusing her message each month on a specific leadership population. For example, contacting PTA Presidents one month, then university youth leadership, civic leaders, ecclesiastical leaders and so on and so forth. She will educate leaders on how to declare decency and encourage them to take the information and education back to their individual populations.
Karmel also won the evening gown award.
Karmel began her community involvement related to issues of decency
in 2006 as President of the Utah Valley Chapter of American Mothers, Inc. Leading that organization, she promotes the White Ribbon Campaign
and WRAP week throughout Utah County, a national effort to "Fight
Pornography and Stand For Decency". In 2007 she was the AMI Honor Utah Young Mother of the Year.
Karmel with daughter, Abigail age 5, both dressed in white symbolizing the White Ribbon Campaign, the central focus of her platform-"Declaring Decency"
She also serves as the Utah County Director for the Parents Television Council, the nation's leading advocacy group protecting children from all forms of violence, profanity and indecency in the media.
Karmel has served as a round table member of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography and plans to continue heavily networking this year to further her cause. She serves as the Utah County Liaison for www.strengthenthefamily.net as well, a great promoter of White Ribbon Week in our schools.
The new Mrs. Utah 2009 and her husband, Brigham Larson, reside in Provo, UT and are the parents of 4 children ages 6,5,3 and 18 months. They home school their children and plan to include them as frequently as possible, serving together as a family to promote decency in Utah. Karmel was thrilled to find out she is expecting again and will compete, 4 months pregnant, at nationals in Las Vegas at the televised Mrs. United States Pageant. She hopes to be able to take her important message of "Declaring Decency" to a national audience.
Mr. and Mrs. Utah 2009, Brigham and Karmel Larson
Karmel's husband, Brigham, is a professional jazz musician and business owner. They met at BYU, where Karmel graduated with a degree in Social Work. She enjoys being at home with her children full time and using her training as a licensed social worker to be a force for good and a leader in the community, engaging others to promote strong family values and stand for decency.
Thayne, Abigail, Brigham, Brig Jr. Karmel and Benjamin
Karmel's favorite quote is, "You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others." -Gordon B. Hinckley
Her world view shifted from an inward to an outward focus as she heard those words as a university student. That moment led her to major in social work and to later care for her grandfather for two years in her home, as he suffered from the late stages of Alzheimer disease (with 3 small children to care for as well). That quote propels her to seek out service and leadership in the community. Now as Mrs. Utah 2009 she has an aggressive plan to contribute good to the world by spreading her important message of declaring decency. Karmel advocates that we should not just sit back and complain about the constant barrage of negative media influences, but actively stand for decency and do something about it!