Sauk Rapids woman to compete for Mrs. America in Vegas

by Frank Lee

operations@thenewsleaders.com

Melissa Brenny wants to use her time in the spotlight during her year-long reign as Mrs. Minnesota America to shine a light on the dark side of human nature – sex trafficking.

The 35-year-old wife and mother of four from Sauk Rapids wants the public to be aware of sex trafficking and how people can help stop the crime from occurring.

“I got involved with the issue before deciding to run for Mrs. Minnesota,” she said. “My goal wasn’t to be in a pageant and then chose a cause. I had this cause in my heart and decided the pageant would be a great way to spread awareness if I ran for Mrs. Minnesota (America).”

Brenny was crowned Mrs. Minnesota America at a pageant in Bloomington June 25. She competes in the national Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas on Saturday, Aug. 27.

She also owns Refresh Nutrition in downtown Sauk Rapids. The business opened in November and serves healthy shakes and also offers wellness coaching among other things, she said.

“There were actually two local girls who were in my nutrition club who were talking about sex trafficking and how prevalent it was in this area,” Brenny said. “And I was completely shocked. I had no idea. I had no clue.”

The Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as “modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”

“I just couldn’t believe it was happening,” Brenny said. “I couldn’t believe it was happening in my own hometown.”

During the June pageant, Brenny competed in the categories of swimsuit, evening gown and gave an interview during which she discussed her determination to help stop sex trafficking.

“I feel like God burdened me with it, and so I hosted a free self-defense class . . . and I had the idea to run for Mrs. Minnesota (America) just to bring more awareness and action to the issue,” she said.

Millions of men, women and children are trafficked every year in countries worldwide, including the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which claims human trafficking is “second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.”

Brenny entered the Mrs. Minnesota International pageant in April, but unlike the Mrs. Minnesota America pageant in June, she did not place in the Mrs. Minnesota International pageant.

“I was actually docked points for talking too long about sex trafficking,” Brenny said of losing in the Mrs. Minnesota International pageant. “But it’s not a light-hearted issue to talk about.”

As Mrs. Minnesota America, Brenny will represent the state at many official events throughout the year.

“I definitely have a lot on my plate with a business and my family and getting ready to go to Las Vegas,” she said. “And certainly it’s intimidating competing with 50 or so other women, but I think I need to make it less about me and more about what my mission is: spreading awareness.”