MOSES LAKE — Natalie Luttmer said one of her goals in competing in the Mrs. Washington pageant was to challenge stereotypes – about pageants of course, but also about her town, Moses Lake.

Natalie, 36, won the recent Mrs. Washington pageant and will represent the state in the Mrs. America pageant scheduled for Aug. 27 in Las Vegas. Natalie and her husband Landon have seven children (two girls and five boys); she is a 1998 graduate of Moses Lake High School.

Her family is behind her all the way. “My husband was very supportive,” and manages all her social media, she said. “My kids are love it.”

“Our motto is making a difference,” Natalie said. The Mrs. Washington pageant includes some traditional pageant activities like swimsuit and evening gown competitions, but the group concentrates on community service, she said.

The goal is to encourage women to “step out of their comfort zones,” she said. “And to help their communities. That (community service) is the biggest focus.”

Each contestant chooses a charitable project, and Luttmer said she chose the battle against substance abuse, especially its impact on families. Originally she worked to promote literacy, but that changed after a mother-daughter tea she sponsored earlier this summer.

The tea party was a benefit for the Victoria Siegel Foundation, started by a Florida couple who lost their daughter to substance abuse. “I had people coming up to me, just passionate about what I was doing,” she said.

It’s a complex issue, she said, complicated by the reluctance of some people to talk about what families face. “It’s a family problem. And something we need to start talking about,” she said.

She still promotes literacy, she said, and is a member of the Moses Lake Public Library Foundation board. She’s active at her church, and in the past volunteered at Samaritan Hospital. Volunteering is part of her life, she said.

It’s important to pass that volunteering spirit on to the next generation, she said – not just her kids, but the children she meets through pageant activities. It’s important for her children to see that she can be a mom and a busy woman and “still squeeze in time to help others,” she said. She has met many little girls who love meeting a princess, especially when she's wearing crown and sash, and she makes sure to pass her volunteering message along to them. “A real princess is kind to others. Kindness is most important.”

The emphasis on community service made her a pageant supporter, she said. But it didn’t start that way.

Pamela Curnel, a longtime pageant supporter, saw Natalie at the gym and suggested she try out for the pageant. “I was definitely hesitant,” she said. What changed her mind was the emphasis on community service, and the chance to challenge herself. She also was attracted by the chance to challenge stereotypes about Moses Lake.

It’s a very diverse community, both in its population and economically, she said. “So many different opportunities here.”

She thought she was well-prepared for the pageant, she said, but it was still a surprise to win. “I definitely was in shock when I won,” she said. “I’m still a little in shock.” With nationals looming, “I’m very excited.” She targeted her pageant preparation toward nationals, she said. “I feel well-prepared.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.