Cadets to hold fair on Saturday

There are few things that focus the mind like the discipline of military marching. And today a large number of young minds–not to mention young feet–were on the move at the foot of the Bel-China Bridge. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
The Youth Cadet Corps Marching Band was only formed two weeks ago, but the twenty-three member group is ready to strut its stuff.

Despite the hot sun, the boys were on Youth for the Future Drive this afternoon drumming up support for a fundraising effort this weekend.

Sandra McLaren, Programme Coord., Youth Cadet Corps
?This is just a pre-presentation of what is going to be taking place tomorrow, as well as on Saturday. Tomorrow we will be having our road festival through the principal streets of Belize where we will be having people from the Belize Defence Force, the police, the Youth Cadet and other cheerleaders from some schools taking part in our parade. And this is to highlight or open our fair, which is going to be held on Saturday at the Roger?s Stadium. … The purpose of the fair is to fundraise to renovate one of our dorms and also to build a fence in the back compound of our institution.?

Kendra Griffith
?How much money are you looking to raise??

Sandra McLaren
?We are looking to raise at least about seven thousand dollars to accomplish this goal.?

Kendra Griffith
?How often do you practice??

Lance Corporal Robert Jones, Band Instructor
?Every day, every day.?

Kendra Griffith
?Okay, so you have twenty-three members, everybody is doing it, everybody likes it??

Lance Cpl. Robert Jones
?So far they noh di complain. They only thing they di complain about is the lee bit a heat out yah noh, well you have to expect that from them. But so far everybody like it, they into it.?

Thirteen year old Lorris Espinosa says the discipline he is learning from the drills is being put to use in his daily life.

Lorris Espinosa, Member, Youth Cadet Marching Band
?I love it because what we are doing, I feel proud of myself and I am trying to be a better man on the street out there.?

Kendra Griffith
?So how does being in the band you think helps you to be a better person??

Lorris Espinosa
?Because at the school which I am going, there we are getting discipline because they are trying to change our lives out here because many rude things are going out here.?

Saturday?s event will feature fair staples such as tambola, games, and plenty of food and drinks, in addition to booths from the B.D.F., Cadets, and Fire Service. Sandra McLaren, the Cadet Corps? programme coordinator is hoping that residents will come out and give support to the essential service that the institution provides.

Sandra McLaren
?These are high risk youths, some of them who are not in school, who have been in the school system but were not able to cope and so they end up falling through the cracks. These are the youths that we are working with and we are preparing them for vocational training, we are preparing them for the B.D.F., we are preparing them to go back into the high school system.?

Lorris Espinosa
?I would just want mek them come out and support the Youth Cadet Corps, because they will be doing a very good show.?

Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.

Saturday’s fair starts at ten at Rogers Stadium, with the cadets doing their routine at eleven. The fun lasts until midnight.