Six compete in first Miss Y International in Belize
And there is some good and interesting news to report. Six brave women between the ages of sixty-one to seventy-six, are vying for the prestigious title of the first ever Miss ‘Y’ International. The event is scheduled to start at seven-thirty on Friday at the Belize City Centre under the theme “Embracing our Culture”. We met the ladies this afternoon when they were preparing for tomorrow’s show. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
These beautiful Belizean-born women called international ambassadors of pageantry of Belize and known to the Y.W.C.A. as ‘seenagers’, stood tall showing Belizeans that age is nothing but a number.
Flora Anderson-Chestnut, Miss Chicago
“My name is Flora Amelia Anderson-Chestnut. Before I left Belize everyone knew me as Amelia Anderson. I am representing Miss Y Chicago.”
Mary Amanda Usher-Swales, Miss New York
“I’m representing New York, the Big Apple.”
Rita Mae Trapp, Ms. Los Angeles
“I hail from beautiful, sunny, multi-racial, city of angels, Los Angeles California. There will be a lot of excitement! When you go home you’ll say I didn’t know these seenagers could have done such a fabulous job. If you don’t come you are going to miss something of your life.”
Rizpah Seguro, Miss Fort Lauderdale
“Fort Lauderdale, the state of the dolphins.”
Glenda Lewis, Miss Miami
“My name is Glenda Lewis and I am from Miami Florida, the sunshine state. I am sixteen turn back upside down. We have a lot of energy and I would like for the public to just come out and see us. We are not no senior citizens, we are young ladies.”
Anita Henry, Miss Belize
“My name is Anita Henry and I am representing Belize. It’s an honour. It means so much to me to actually be the representative for my country. I never thought it was ever going to happen. And little me, to be way up there as Miss Y, over sixty, oh my!”
Elegance, glamour, poise and talent are not all that we can expect and there is so much more to these seenagers than the beauty that meets the eyes.
Mary Amanda Usher-Swales, Miss New York
“It will give me the opportunity to promote my organization, the Belize Chemotherapy organization. This is about bringing chemotherapy to cancer patients in Belize because the people are so poor they do not have money to travel outside so we are coming to the cancer patients.”
Birdy Francis, Pageant Coordinator and Coach, Miss Y Int’l Pageant
“Lauren Demanning came up with the idea that since they have a seenagers pageant in New York, well why don’t we have an international seenagers pageant and just get all the different organizations from the states send their contestant here to Belize and the money raised go to the girls. Because, you know, the bottom line, the funds go to the girls at the ‘Y’. We have a lot of services that we render to these girls.”
Duane Moody reporting for News Five.
Also on stage will be local talents Lila Vernon and Shirley Ferguson, as well as Queen of the Bay New York. The event will be hosted by Lauren Burgess and Raphael Martinez and tickets are on sale at Y.W.C.A. headquarters or Venus Photos and Records with reserve seats at twenty-five dollars in advance and thirty at the door. General admission is fifteen dollars for adults, while children will pay five dollars.
