BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN one of several charitable initiatives of giving back to the community from which she hailed, National Carnival Queen Orngel Erskine chose yesterday (Feb. 13) to begin her quest by providing for the less fortunate.
Erskine and several of her friends, members of the National Carnival Committee and other winners of various events of the recently-concluded 2015/2016 National Carnival treated inmates of the Cardin Home to a day of lunch, laughter and other forms of merriment.
Speaking with SKNVibes, Erskine explained that in the spirit of Valentine, a day in which one expresses one’s for another, she had decided to share that that love with the less fortunate.
“I believe in giving back to my community and the people here need love. We do not show them enough love, so I took it upon myself to create and come up with this idea of hosting this luncheon so that we can show them how much we care about them.”
In hosting the event, the National Carnival Queen also made a donation of essential toiletries to the home, quantified in the range of over EC$1,000.
“Today we donated pampers, water filters, soaps, toothbrushes and lotions, among other things to the Home,” she said.
In accepting the donation on behalf of the Home, Junior Minister of Health the Hon. Wendy Phipps said such public/private sector partnerships is always welcomed, especially for such an institution.
“It is also an opportunity for persons who are considered cultural icons such as our reigning National Carnival Queen, who was accompanied here by the reigning Mr. Culture and the National Talented Teen, I think this is a really good platform from which they can develop some form of demonstrative social conscience and partnership.
“It lets you step out of your pageant world and appreciate the realities of life here on the ground. Sometimes it can be ambassadors like those icons, Carnival Queens, Calypso performers, to come out and show to the public what the real social concerns are in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
The Minister stated out that even though the Cardin Home is a facility funded by the Federal Government, that does not means there is no room for private partnerships.
“There is always room for partnership. As it is right now, an institution like the Cardin Home is almost operating at full capacity and over time we will have to consider expansion or maybe at another level look at the replication of the Saddler’s Home.”
The next item on Queen Erskine’s list of activities is a trophy presentation to Beach Allen Primary School, the learning institution that provided the platform for her academic achievements.
