Belize City Lions host pageant

Pageants: they’re a way of life in Belize, and whether or not you’re a fan, the one coming up this weekend will raise funds for what we know is a good cause.

Patrick Jones, Reporting
Five beautiful young ladies will take to the stage on Friday night in a contest to help the Belize City Lions Club. Producer of the show Birdy Francis says it?s an event that will be in a class by itself.

Birdy Francis, Producer/Director
?The purpose of this pageant really is to raise funds, to raise money for the Lions Club. They are a service organisation and as you know pageants are good fund raisers. In a way though, this is a different pageant. Not like all the other pageants because its not only stress volunteerism to the contestants and community service, but it also wants them, after the pageant to go out into the community and work with the community.?

Four of the five young women in the pageant visited out studios this morning, and each says she?s ready.

Tiffarah Lopez, 21
?Well because I think that supporting the Lion?s Club will be very good for me. And that it?s a service organisation. So I just think its fun to take part and you get to meet people and enjoy yourself, as a young lady. So I?m looking forward to it.?

Kayla Grant, 17
?Personally, I feel that competition builds your character. And by being in this pageant I hope to get self confidence. And of course I am meeting a lot of people and we are having fun. It?s just a good experience. I just want to suggest to everybody out there, if you can have a chance to get in a pageant, I suggest you do it. It?s a really nice experience.?

Tamika Swift, 19
?My family and friends influenced me to enter this pageant. I saw this pageant as an opportunity to test my communication skills, my grace and my ability to be focussed in a public appearance.?

Misty Williams, 17
?Well actually it was with the support of my family, my mother encouraged me. My sisters, brothers, friends encouraged me and actually I am with an organisation that also deals with the community, deals with the people and I think that to put my work at the Y.M.C.A. with the Lions it can be a great opportunity for me to expand my vocabulary and my knowledge in dealing with the community and people.?

The pageant will feature the ladies in a talent competition, evening wear and sports wear segments. But Francis says they will have to do more than wear a pretty smile to convince the judges to give them the crown.

Birdy Francis
?This pageant is not beauty from the outside, but beauty from the inside. We stress inner beauty. The contestants will be judged on not how they look really but they are going to be an ambassador for the pageant. So that means that they will have to go to the nationals in Belmopan and compete against other queens.?

Kayla Grant, 17
?I?m a dancer I do liturgical dancing. The talent show is going to about three minutes. So I?m going to be dancing a liturgical dance.?

Tiffarah Lopez, 21
?I?m going to do a song. It?s ?Angel of Mine? by Monica. I?m going to do my best. So I hope the best outcome happens.?

Patrick Jones
?What has it been like being with the other young ladies taking part in this pageant??

Tiffarah Lopez, 21
?Well it?s been very fun. We have a lot of fun together. We talk about a lot of stuff. We enjoy each other?s company. After the pageant we hope to keep in contact.?

Tamika Swift, 19
?It is good we get to know each other a lot. So basically we are friends and we are here to just enjoy ourselves.?

Patrick Jones
?Now on the night of the pageant, what will you be doing in the talent competition??

Tamika Swift, 19
?Well I?ll be dancing because I love to dance. And dancing is what I do best.?

Misty Williams, 17
?They are very nice, beautiful of course and as talented as I am. And they don?t show negativity to the whole pageant. We are all positive in what we are doing.?

Patrick Jones
?Talking about talent, what?s your talent on the night of the pageant??

Misty Williams, 17
?Well I am going to do a combination of both singing and dancing.?

Patrick Jones
?Why did you choose to do that?

Misty Williams, 17
?Well I am good at both. Singing is my best talent and I think that I can more show them who I am through those talents.?

Birdy Francis
?So we really need your support and we?re asking Belize to please come out and support the pageant because it?s for a worthy cause. You know the Lions they take care of people with glasses and eye surgery and so on and so forth. So we would really appreciate if they would come out and help us.?

Patrick Jones, for News 5.

The fifth contestant not featured in the story is twenty-two-year-old Gina Lovell. The pageant takes place on Friday night at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall in Belize City beginning at eight. Admission is twenty dollars reserved and ten dollars general.