STUART — Kellie Lightbourn, crowned Mrs. Universe 2026 in Orlando in May, visited the Advocates for the Rights of the Challenged of Martin County to spread awareness and gather more support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Signing autographs and playing games with the individuals attending the adult day training program at the Martin County ARC, the June 9 visit kicked off a season of events and networking opportunities to increase support for the growing organization.

Stuart’s Mrs. Universe 2026 visits nonprofit ARC of the Treasure Coast

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Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, dances with Lester, of the Adult Day Training Program, during Lightbourn’s first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, at The ARC of the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn’s advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations on all continents around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

(CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT/TCPALM)

The ARC is a nonprofit organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through educational programs, employment training and advocacy, according to its website.

Lightbourn, an attorney, said her visit to the ARC of the Treasure Coast was like “coming home,” after years of living in Jupiter and Tampa intermittently. She’s now living in Stuart.

For the nonprofit, Lightbourn’s visit meant a powerful voice to rally support in the region and create opportunities for the people they serve, said Keith W. Muniz, president and CEO of the ARC of the Treasure Coast.

“A lot of times we don’t have that and people in her position, they don’t really choose the disability community a whole lot of times to be their platform,” Muniz said. “We’re so grateful and honored.”

The collaboration began back in January when the multiple beauty pageant winner — she is also Mrs. Florida and Mrs. USA — first contacted the ARC looking for resources to help her 18-year-old son with autism.

“They opened their doors, and it was like everybody was willing to just give, give, give,” Lightbourn said.

Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, dances with Lester, of the Adult Day Training Program, during Lightbourn's first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, at The ARC of the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn's advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations on all continents around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, dances with Lester, of the Adult Day Training Program, during Lightbourn’s first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, at The ARC of the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn’s advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations on all continents around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

Winning the international Mrs. Universe pageant on May 6, she returned to the Martin County ARC chapter to advocate for more support at a time of expansion and higher expenses for the ARC.

“We do a gala every year and we’re always looking for a good master of ceremonies or mistress of ceremonies,” Muniz said. “So, she agreed to (host it), and she just knocked it out of the park… our gala this year raised more money than we ever raised before and I think that she shed a light on that.”

With more involvement in public events, the goal is to be a voice for inclusivity, Lightbourne said.

“We are helping them become active citizens within their community. That’s just an important message that everybody needs to hear more often,” Muniz said. “Partnering with Kelly is going to be an incredible opportunity to do that, like we’ve never been able to do it before.”

A lifelong passion for pageants and advocacy

A graduate of Boca Raton Community High School, with family ties to Jupiter, Lightbourn, 51, said she first became Miss Virginia in 1999.

She won her 1999 title with a statement by shaving her head to make a wig for a friend with alopecia, the medical term for hair loss. Since then, advocacy and pageants have been one and the same for her.

“Every time that I want to move forward with the cause, I find myself going back in pageants,” Lightbourn said.

Martine smiles as Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, places the crown on her during Lightbourn's first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, at The ARC of the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn's advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations on all continents around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

Martine smiles as Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, places the crown on her during Lightbourn’s first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, at The ARC of the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn’s advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations on all continents around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

A few months after giving birth to twins in 2009, she returned to pageants, winning a different title — Mrs. Florida 2010 — but still advocating for individuals with disabilities.

She retired from beauty pageants for over a decade, but Lightbourn returned to the stage to claim the Mrs. Universe 2026 title, motivated to help her son, Nicholas.

Diagnosed with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects growth and development, Lightbourn said she wants to inform families and make resources available for kids in similar situations.

“He was diagnosed very early, and nobody knew what to do,” Lightbourn said. “That was my first journey back into pageants, to be honest with you. I tend to get in pageants when I’m having personal crisis, and I need an outlet or I think people don’t know something.”

Beauty pageants, according to Lightbourn, act as a Trojan horse for opportunities and platforms to advocate for her and the organization she supports.

“The minute I strap this on (sash), all of a sudden I’m able to get messages out that I couldn’t get out before,” Lightbourn said.

Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, visits individuals attending the ARC of the Treasure Coast's Adult Day Training Program during her first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn's advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

Mrs. Universe 2026 Kellie Lightbourn, 51, of Stuart, visits individuals attending the ARC of the Treasure Coast’s Adult Day Training Program during her first public appearance since earning the international title, June 9, 2026, in Stuart. Lightbourn signed autographs, played games and spoke to the group. Lightbourn’s advocacy platform is to raise awareness and promote inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mrs. Universe is an annual international event open to married, divorced and widowed women from nations around the world between the ages of 18 to 55.

Beyond the competitions and communication skills, her compassion and the time she takes to become part of a community is what allows Lightbourn to connect with audiences, according to Muniz.

“Being a parent of a child with autism, she’s able to do that in a very compassionate, authentic way that resonates with families,” Muniz said. “She understands the challenges that they’re trying to navigate through a system that’s with red tape and funding issues and expensive.”

Her latest project is ‘I Hate Pity,’ an inclusive social media community fighting the stigma around people living with disabilities.

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“I did it with a little girl that I had met at Shriners that had cerebral palsy” Lightbourne said. “She would always call me saying ‘I hate ableism and I hate pity, like I don’t want pity.'”

What started as a conversation about being seen and being treated fairly turned into a blog for people with diverse intellectual and developmental disabilities to share their insight and experiences, she said.

Adrian Jimenez-Morales is a reporter for TCPalm/ Treasure Coast Newspapers. You can reach him at adrian.jimenez@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Mrs. Universe 2026 visits Stuart nonprofit to support people with disabilities