Jena Sims Shares Her Meaningful ’Why’ Behind Pageant of Hope

You may know Jena Sims best as a three-time SI Swimsuit model, but the mom and entrepreneur is also the founder of the Pageant of Hope, a non-profit organization that puts on an inclusive pageant for children in challenging environments.

Earlier this month, the 2026 Pageant of Hope was held in Jupiter, Fla., and following the festivities on Aug. 8, Sims took to Instagram to share some insights on why the annual event is so meaningful to her.

“This is my why 🥹,” Sims captioned her post on Aug. 12. “After our beautification portion of Pageant of Hope, a mom came up to me in tears and pulled out her phone. She showed me a photo of her daughter with the biggest smile on her face and said, ‘I’ve never seen her smile like this except when she’s horseback riding.’ Pageant of Hope has never just been about crowns, gowns or a day on stage. It’s about creating a space where every contestant gets to feel celebrated, confident, beautiful and completely seen. These smiles are everything 🩷 @pageantofhope.”

In the accompanying photo carousel, Sims shared images from the day, featuring her team and Pageant of Hope participants. When she first joined the SI Swimsuit family as a rookie in 2024, Sims similarly expressed her motivations for creating the event back in 2005.

“I did pageants myself, and it freaking sucks losing a pageant. Rejection is so real. So I wanted to create the most inclusive pageant in the world ... much like SI [Swimsuit] is probably the most inclusive magazine in the world. We have some parallels there,” she stated while on set in Mexico. “Every single person, every single participant leaves a winner in the Pageant of Hope. We work with kids, teens, boys and girls with disabilities and terminal illnesses.”

Over the last 20 plus years, Pageant of Hope events have been held all around the world, from the U.S. to Africa and more. Sims, who competed in pageants as a teen, has told us that the best part of her work with Pageant of Hope is seeing the instant transformation of confidence before her eyes.

“Once [the kids] go through the entire process of the pageant, by the end of the day, they’re completely transformed and they’re out of their shell,” Sims said. “They’re prancing across the stage. They’re posing with their hips out and they’re blowing kisses.”

Learn more about Pageant of Hope here.

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