Reigning Miss Alabama Caitlin Brunell will be the keynote speaker at the third annual Little Black Dress event, set for Sat., March 28, at the Andalusia Country Club.

The dinner, fashion show and silent auction that’s just for women will benefit the Covington County Imagination Library, a literacy program that provides free books to children residing in Covington County from birth to age 5 years.

Currently, the program is mailing out almost 700 hard cover books to youngsters in Opp, Andalusia, and Florala each month.

Brunell was a Top 10 finalist in Miss America this past year. A former Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, Brunell is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in dance and a minor in computing technology and applications.

Her platform is Caitlin’s Closet, which provides special event clothing to underprivileged children and teenagers. At UA, she was a Crimson Belle football recruiting hostess, a member of the Phi Mu Philanthropy Board, creator of the Miss America Dress Drive Program, founder of the Impact Club (a high school community service club), and has been a lay leader and fundraising volunteer for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals since 2004.

She worked as a nanny in both London and the Hamptons in the summers of 2010 and 2011.

Look for more details about the fashion show and auction, which are currently being put together, in coming weeks.

Tickets for the Little Black Dress Event may be purchased at Harold’s Furniture, 526 E. Three Notch Court, Andalusia.

Individual tickets are $100; a table for six is $500.

–Michele Gerlach