BEAUTY CONTEST WINNERS JOIN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Byline: Daily News

Local ``royalty'' is doing its part next weekend to make a difference.

Miss Santa Clarita Valley and her royal court, and Mrs. County of Los Angeles, Sylvia Moore of Stevenson Ranch, have come up with projects to help the less fortunate on Saturday, Make a Difference Day.

Started by USA Magazine, Make a Difference Day is celebrated all over the nation by more than 2 million people each year. As part of the program, groups of people get together to help others in their community.

Cash grants are also awarded for select projects, prior to their beginning, by Wal-Mart - which issues two $2,000 grants in each state and a manager's award for $1,000 from each of the 2,300 stores, and from Paul Newman who offers $10,000 to each of 10 projects.

Tiffany Graham, a princess in the Miss Santa Clarita Valley court, tells of plans to raise money to find two underprivileged young girls and make them Princesses for a Day. The queen and four princesses will buy the girls new clothes and other presents, take them for haircuts and manicures and then to lunch - all in a limousine.

``We came up with this idea because, through our year on the Miss Teen court, we've gotten to see how much kids look up to us, and what role models we are in our community,'' Princess Tiffany Graham explained.

Moore is preparing a benefit for a single mothers' organization in Santa Clarita that helps feed, house and clothe families in need.

For more information on the Make a Difference Day program, visit their Web site at www.makeadifferenceday.com

On Sunday, Jews from Santa Clarita are scheduled to take part in numerous regional events for Mitzvah Day, a day set aside by The Jewish Federation/Valley Alliance for tikkun olam, Hebrew for ``repairing our world.''

Members of local synagogues are among the 5,000 volunteers taking part in projects to benefit children and families, those who are homeless, poor, sick or disabled, and the environment and education.