Honoring Black History: Catching up with Peoria's Juneteenth Queens
Monet is currently pursuing a healthcare career.
'I currently work at a nursing home. I enjoy seeing them and seeing that I can make their day by the little things that I do,' she said. 'Healthcare is really easy. You just have to have a passion for it.'
Boyce runs a mentoring program called Sunflower Mentoring Services. The focus is to empower individuals through mentorship.
'Really focusing on finding our divine purpose in this world and learning to come together with other young women and embrace each other,' Boyce said.
2024 Miss Juneteenth Peoria Pageant Winners | Good Day Central Illinois
Monet and Boyce hold the inaugural titles for Peoria's Miss Juneteenth pageants. They have found their reign to be gratifying as they look to inspire people in their community.
'I'm a community servant at heart,' said Boyce. 'Just being able to use the Miss Juneteenth platform to bring awareness and to encourage younger individuals and middle-aged women to run for Miss Juneteenth.'
'Being the age that I am, I just want to be a role model to everyone around me. It's also helped me gain my confidence,' said the teen queen.
Applications for the 2025 Miss Juneteenth Pageant open on March 1.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
05-08-2025
- New York Post
Adam Sandler speaks out on Cameron Boyce's ‘Happy Gilmore 2' tribute
Adam Sandler's kindness is once again in full swing. The actor, 58, is addressing the heartfelt tribute he filmed in honor of Cameron Boyce in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Sandler and Boyce, who died at age 20 in 2019 after suffering an epileptic seizure, starred in the 2010 comedy 'Grown Ups' and the 2013 sequel 'Grown Ups 2' together. Advertisement They portrayed the father-son duo Lenny and Keithie Feder. In 'Happy Gilmore 2,' the clerk is watching the Disney Channel show 'Jessie' on a small TV on his desk. Boyce starred as Luke Ross in 'Jessie' from 2011 to 2015. 9 Cameron Boyce and Adam Sandler at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement 9 Cameron Boyce's tribute in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Netflix 'Love that kid,' Sandler told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published July 29. 'He was one of the sweetest persons I've ever met — just constantly in a good mood, constantly great energy, loving to everybody.' 'He felt like a family member to us when we were shooting 'Grown Ups,'' he added. 'Of course, we were going to shoot with Cameron on 'Hubie Halloween,' and we were getting ready to have a great time together, and we lost him. We think of him all the time.' Sandler came up with the idea with writer Tim Herlihy. Advertisement 'This was just a moment where we were like, 'What should we throw on the TV?' We said, 'Might as well throw Cameron in there. He's the man. Keep him part of our family.' And so that's why we did it.' In the 2020 Netflix comedy 'Hubie Halloween,' Sandler wrote a touching message in remembrance of Boyce. 'In loving memory of CAMERON BOYCE,' the tribute read. 'Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.' 9 Adam Sandler stars in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Courtesy of Netflix Advertisement Eagle-eyed viewers flocked to social media after they spotted Sandler's tribute to Boyce in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' 'Adam put a tiny Cameron Boyce (played his son in 'Grown Ups') tribute in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Excuse me while I sob,' one viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Boyce's mom, Libby Boyce, also shared how much she appreciated the tribute. 'Adam always finds a way to keep Cams memory alive,' she wrote via Instagram on July 27, 'which warms our heart.' 9 Adam Sandler and Cameron Boyce in 'Grown Ups 2.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Adam Sandler, Jake Goldberg, Salma Hayek, Cameron Boyce, Alexys Nycole Sanchez in 'Grown Ups 2.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,' she recalled. 'Cameron was supposed to be in 'Hubie Halloween' and they were strategizing. They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real.' Boyce was also well known for his work in 'Descendants' and 'Mrs. Fletcher.' He passed away in his sleep on July 6, 2019. Advertisement 'It is with a profoundly heavy heart that we report that this morning we lost Cameron,' a family rep said in a statement at the time. 'He passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated.' 9 The cast of Disney Channel's 'Descendants.' Disney Channel via Getty Images 9 Sofia Carson, BooBoo Stewart, Cameron Boyce, Brenna D'Amico in 'Descendants 3.' 'The world is now undoubtedly without one of its brightest lights, but his spirit will live on through the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved him,' the statement continued. 'We are utterly heartbroken and ask for privacy during this immensely difficult time as we grieve the loss of our precious son and brother.' Advertisement In the young star's honor, his family started the Cameron Boyce Foundation to raise money for research, education and awareness surrounding epilepsy. Sandler was one of the first people to pay tribute to the Disney vet after his passing. 9 Cameron Boyce poses on the carpet in 2019. AFP via Getty Images 9 Cameron Boyce attends the Radio Disney Music Awards at CBS Studios in June 2019. WireImage Advertisement 'Too young. Too sweet. Too funny,' he wrote on social media. 'Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world.' 'Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken,' Sandler concluded. 'Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.'
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Yahoo
Cameron Boyce's Mom Thanks Adam Sandler for ‘Happy Gilmore 2' Tribute, Reveals Sandler Was ‘Strategizing' on Their Next Movie Together in the ‘Days Leading Up' to Boyce's Death
Cameron Boyce's mother, Libby Boyce, thanked Adam Sandler for the tribute to her son in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' 'Thank you [Adam Sandler] for honoring Cam's legacy in 'Happy Gilmore 2,'' she wrote in an Instagram post Monday, sharing a still of the tribute and a frame of Sandler and Boyce in 'Grown Ups 2.' Boyce died in 2019 due to an epileptic seizure in his sleep. More from Variety 'Happy Gilmore 2' Director and Actor Defend That Major Death in the First Three Minutes: 'When I Found Out I Was Killed, I Started Laughing' Adam Sandler Remembers Cameron Boyce in Subtle 'Happy Gilmore 2' Tribute Adam Sandler's Secret Weapon: This 'Happy Gilmore 2' Writer Shaped Decades of Comedy and Earned $3 Billion at the Box Office 'Happy Gilmore 2's' nod to Boyce comes early in the film as Sandler's foul-mouthed golfer is checking in for a tee time. When Happy approaches the desk, one of the clerks is watching a scene from the Disney Channel comedy 'Jessie' featuring Boyce. On Sunday, she also posted an article about the 'Happy Gilmore 2' tribute and shared some details about her son and Sandler's relationship. 'Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Cameron was supposed to be in 'Hubie Halloween' and they were strategizing. They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real. Adam always finds a way to keep Cam's memory alive which warms our heart.' This isn't the first time Sandler paid tribute to the young star in one of his films. Sandler dedicated his 2020 comedy 'Hubie Halloween' to Boyce, who was supposed to star alongside him before his untimely death. A message in the film's credits reads, 'In loving memory of Cameron Boyce. Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.' Boyce came up as a child star, starring in Disney's 'Jessie' and the 'Descendants' film series. He later appeared in the 2008 films 'Mirrors' and 'Eagle Eye' before starring as Sandler's on-screen son in 'Grown Ups' and 'Grown Ups 2.' After Boyce's death, Sandler shared the following tribute on X, 'Too young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken. Thinking of your amazing family and sending our deepest condolences.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
Miami Herald
29-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Cameron Boyce's mom thanks Adam Sandler for honoring son in ‘Happy Gilmore 2'
Cameron Boyce may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. The late actor was just 20 years old when he died in 2019 after experiencing an unexpected epileptic seizure in his sleep, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. At the time, Boyce was expected to appear in Adam Sandler's 2020 film 'Hubie Halloween.' Sandler included a tribute for Boyce following a blooper sequence at the end of the film. 'In loving memory of Cameron Boyce. Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew,' the 2020 tribute read, according to Deadline. 'You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day,' the tribute concluded. Now five years later, Sandler is still finding ways to honor Boyce with his newest film, 'Happy Gilmore 2,' which was released July 25, per IMDB. At one point in the film, Sandler is walking up to a check-in booth with a golf bag on his shoulder. The people working the booth were watching a show on TV. The show was Disney Channel's 'Jessie,' according to People, and the the TV was playing a scene that included Boyce — who played Luke Ross in the series from 2011 to 2015. On July 28, Boyce's mom, Libby, took to Instagram to personally thank Sandler for including her son in the movie. 'Thank you (Adam Sandler) for honoring Cam's legacy in Happy Gilmore 2,' she wrote in the caption alongside a photo of the scene. She also included a photo of a younger Boyce with Sandler and a video of Sandler talking about her son during an appearance at the 2024 Cameron Boyce Foundation's 3rd Annual Cam For A Cause Gala. 'He was one of the nicest kids I've ever met, funniest kids I ever met,' he said in the interview. 'I just love talking about him and thinking of him and his parents. Proud to be here.' In a separate Instagram post, Boyce's mom shared a screenshot of a Hollywood Reporter article about her son's surprise cameo in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' In the caption, she opened up about the bond her son had with Sandler. 'Adam and Cameron talked quite a bit in the days leading up to his death,' Boyce's mom wrote. 'Cameron was supposed to be in Hubies Halloween and they were strategizing.' 'They had a bond I think related to being authentic, funny and just keeping it real. Adam always finds a way to keep Cams memory alive which warms our heart,' she added. Sandler and Boyce first worked together in 2010 on the set of Sandler's 'Grown Ups' film, where Boyce played Sandler's on-screen son, per IMDB. Both Boyce and Sandler reprised those roles in the 2013 sequel 'Grown Ups 2.' After Boyce died, Sandler took to X (formerly Twitter) in memory of his former co-star. 'Too young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around,' the actor wrote at the time. 'Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken,' he added.
