Cara Rudd, 21, of Federal Way is participating in the Miss Auburn Scholarship Program, a preliminary to Miss Washington and Miss America Pageants, in hopes of attaining a scholarship for education.

The Miss Auburn program gives away more scholarship money than any other local program in the country.

Last year the program awarded more $61,000 to 23 contestants.

This year Rudd is one of 24 eligible young women competing for scholarship money. This year the program is making it possible for each contestant to receive scholarship donations through their website.

One hundred percent of the money received from the contestant profile page will be awarded directly to Rudd in the form of a scholarship.

The event will be held February 1-2 at the Auburn Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. The center is located at 700 E. Main St. in Auburn.

To make a donation to her account go to her contestant profile page http://www.missauburn.com/Contestant.aspx?ID=18 and click on the "PayPal Donation" button. This will allow you to make a donation in any amount quickly and securely.

Rudd attended Illahee Jr High in Federal Way before being accepted to the Tacoma School of the Arts. She graduated in 2004.

Rudd has many local, regional and national acting and singing credits including 5th Avenue Theatre stints as Liesl in The Sound of Music, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Fredricka Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden.