Haley Butler was crowned Miss Tennessee's Outstanding Teen this St. Patrick's Day. But what's more extraordinary than the 17-year-old's self-composed violin numbers or her work with Children's Miracle Network is that Haley's life and ability to compete in MAOT almost never happened.

When Haley was born in MaAnshan, China, her birth mother left her under a tree with her birth date pinned to her clothes. The family was already walking on egg shells with China's One Child Policy–they had three daughters already before she was born. Haley was picked up by local authorities and placed in an orphanage. But what started out as a rocky year for the small baby ended in serendipity. Not long after her placement in the orphanage, the Butler family picked her up out of solitude and brought her home to Tennessee.

In 2009, Haley located her birth parents in MaAnshan, and she is still in contact with them today. Her birth mother calls her "Yuan," which in Chinese means, "destiny ties people together." Haley was featured in Somewhere Between, a documentary that took note of the nearly eighty thousand Chinese trans-racial adoptees. The movie will premier this summer.

Haley is making the most of her miraculous circumstances. She is a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, which signifies extraordinary community service. Haley carries this point of the crown into everything she does. Her personal platform is "Celebrating Life."

Source: Wendy King Photo: Jan Crowell