She said she has been "dressed by some amazing designers" and had opportunities to establish relationships "with a myriad of people."

Smith recently spent a day helping to renovate and spruce up the Vine Hill Boys & Girls Club. The project took place through a partnership of The Home Depot and the Miss Universe Organization, which oversees the Miss USA pageant.

An Ingram scholar, Smith attended Belmont University. While she was a student, she was required to do community service to keep her scholarship. Smith chose to give her time and service to the Vine Hill Boys & Girls Club.

"It has been a community, a home," said Smith about the club. In addition to being a great place for kids, many of whom she watched grow up, it was also "a wonderful place for me to hang out during my collegiate career," she said.

'We're just breaking the ice'

Smith said she couldn't think of a better place in which to "leave my legacy."

As part of the project, Smith, some of the club's teenagers and other volunteers painted three rooms, put in hardwood floors in three rooms and installed storage units. They also created "cubby" spaces, where kids can put their backpacks and coats.

Smith said the everyday wear and tear caused by the kids was starting to show, and she wanted to do something to make the club look a little nicer.

"They're going to have so much pride in the renovations, because this is 'their place,' " she said.

"The Vine Hill community is truly blessed to have someone like Rachel Smith supporting this project," Jeff Darnell, the club's director, said in a news release.

Smith said she hopes this is the first of many projects taking place at the club.

"Hopefully, we're just breaking the ice," she said.

Space is a major concern at the club, said Smith. Other than a computer lab, the only space the club has for activities is a gym. Smith said every activity, from sports to arts and crafts to snack time, takes place in the gym.

Smith said the kids and the Vine Hill Boys & Girls Club "have so much potential."

"But there are so many needs that need to be met," she said. "We're thinking bigger and better for this club. I want the best for these kids."

She's committed to club for life.

Smith, who currently lives in New York, said she lives by the Biblical phrase, "to whom much is given, much is expected."

Whether she's living in Middle Tennessee, New York or somewhere else, she plans to have a lifelong commitment to the club.

"I am forever committed to this program," she said.