BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IT is the second annual Miss Mother’s Day Beauty Queen Pageant & Expo and the show will be held on Saturday (May 12) at Carnival Village with five contestants.
The mothers are poised and ready to hit the stage to showcase their talent and beauty.
The five contestants are: Shanda Browne (26) of Lime Kiln who is a mother of one; 24-year-old Akesha Lynch, a mother of one who resides at Sandy Point; 18-year-old Allison Budgeon of Phillips Village, a mother of two; Lula Simon, a 30-year-old mother of one who resides in Old Road; and 23-year-old mother of three, Shanika Percival of Boyds.
The segments in which they will compete are Business Wear, Talent, Beach Wear and Evening Wear.
They will each appear onstage with their child(ren) for the fanfare, after which they will introduce themselves.
These appearances will not be judged.
Kirk Williams, PRO of the Organising Committee, said that one of the main reasons for the show is to help boost the young mothers’ self-confident and self esteem.
“The show is to have them be a part of something positive and show the general public what they have to offer. Often, young mothers are at times looked at negatively because of mistakes they have made. So we’re hoping the show will be a boost for them and to motivate them, because they can accomplish anything once they put their mind to it,” he said.
The contestants have been a part of several activities gearing up for the show including visiting various schools in St. Kitts and making an appearance on the People’s Show.
“At the schools, the girls spoke about their life and getting pregnant at an early age and the consequences they had to deal with. One of them told the students there are times when she has nothing to give her children. So that was really an eye opener for the students,” he said.
The pageant coordinator is Sandra Weekes, a local designer who makes sure the contestants are well poised and represent themselves to the best of their ability in the public’s eye, while Michael Walters is the Chairman of the event, Williams said.
Last year’s winner, Orelma Prentice, will be taking her final walk that night.
Everyone is encouraged to go out and support the mothers in this year’s pageant as it is expected to be an entertaining night.
The cost to attend is EC$25.
