Woodbury’s 40-year-old royal family of community service turned the page to its freshest group of roll-up-your-sleeves heroes Monday night with the official coronation of six 2025-26 Ambassadors.
Selected for the honor were: Isaac Casalenda (Official Ambassador title, “Little Prince”), Yanise Sorrell (“Little Princess”), Brynna Cattell (“Little Miss Woodbury”), Braden Thiegs (“Prince”), Kashia Yang (“Princess”), Lilly Bolle (“Miss Woodbury”), and Shirley Muelken (“Senior Queen”).
The new Ambassadors now embark on a full schedule of community work that will take them all over the Metro area and beyond – for everything from parades and after-school reading sessions to American Legion special-needs proms and other communities’ coronations.
Last year’s Woodbury contingent graced more than 120 events during its reign, said Lisa Boe, director of Woodbury Ambassadors Royal Family, which was organized in 1985 under Woodbury Days’ nonprofit designation.
The 2024-25 group was made up of Brooklynn Edlund (“Miss Woodbury”), Jolisa Whittler (“Woodbury Princess”), Anya Thompson (“Woodbury Princess”), Nola Lindemann (“Little Miss Woodbury”), Zyana Sorrell (“Little Woodbury Princess”) Caleb Casalenda (“Little Woodbury”), Michael Stanton (“Woodbury Senior King”), and Teri Theno-Erb (“Woodbury Senior Queen”).
Don’t let their signature evening gowns, tuxedos, roses, and scepters fool you, said Boe.
“We’re definitely working royalty. We don’t just smile and wave,” she explained in a phone interview the day before this year’s coronation.
“So, no, we’re definitely not always in dress clothes either.”
The benefits also don’t stop with the individuals, groups, organizations, and others that each year’s Woodbury Ambassadors pitch in for, according to Lindsey Thompson, whose daughter Anya was part of last year’s all-stars.
“The growth of these kids themselves in one year is just incredible!” Lindsey enthused in a brief interview just before Monday night’s coronation at East Ridge High School.
Boe and other insiders, meanwhile, refer to everything the Ambassadors do as “Sparkle World.”
Each year’s winners are selected under a variety of criteria in three categories, Boe explained: Ambassadors (Three members, grades 10 through college), Little Ambassadors (three members, grades 3-4), and Senior King and/or Queen (one member or two, age 50 and older).
More details can be found at the Ambassadors’ website (woodburyambassadors.org).
