The Miss Y Pageant is more than just another event, it’s a cultural happening. The pageant has a history going back to 1993 and in that time it’s become a fan favourite and the central fundraising event for the YWCA. So it’s both a worthy cause and a bellyful of laughs, and as Jacqueline Godwin found out, this year’s roster of senior ladies is placing a premium on entertainment.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
There have been fifteen Ms Ys since the pageant started in 1993. Sixteen years later one of these six seenagers hopes to capture the title. With only two more days to go the women who are between the ages of sixty and seventy six years old have been rehearsing long hours the opening act for Saturday night.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Myrl you’re 60 years old and that makes you the baby of the group. Do you believe this gives you an advantage for Saturday night?
Myrl Bowden, 60 years old
“Well I don’t know but I am trying very hard. But if win or lose it doesn’t matter. I am just going up to experience the crowd and have fun and make everybody have fun too.”
These women like their predecessors are in it for the fun and to help the younger generation of girls who are at risk become self sufficient through the programmes offered at the Y.
Olga Cook, 76 years old
“As a woman you have to work and make your own money because if you don’t make your own money you have no say in the house. So we want to teach the young girls them that either go out and get a job or learn a trade or something that they could take care of themselves.”
Seventy six year old Olga Cook is not only the most senior contestant but she is also a teacher at the YWCA who understands the needs and wants of her students.
Olga Cook,
“And I could see that generation of today is changed than from when I was coming up because we used to teach other to knit, to sew, but now it is not like that so places like these could help these girls to do something for themselves, to make some money so they could care for themselves.”
And while Olga Cook may have been personally motivated by the young girls at
the y her peers were encouraged by friends or achieve a long time goal.
Joyce Tillett, 70 years old
“I have been promising myself to do it for two years and my friend, she is the one who really got me into it this time and I said sure, I’ll do it.”
Kathleen Stanford, 61 years old
“When I got sixty Miss Birdy wanted me to go up for Miss Y but I got my foot fractured so I couldn’t go. So this year I said I will go and
my children said go because I had gone up for a pageant before. So I said okay I will come.”
Sonia Grant, 69 years old
“But I never went on a stage yet until now because they study annoyed me and so I said let me make up my mind and so I am looking for all of them who invited me to go and support me.”
Unfortunately ticket sales so far has not been good which is a concern for the Ms. Y pageant organizer Birdie Francis who hopes the event will result in at least twenty thousand dollars.
Birdy Francis, Organizer - Ms. Y Pageant
“And you know this money is for the Helper Early Leavers Program to carry us through the year. This is what helps us until the end of the year so we have to get a good turnout and that is why I am begging people to please support the effort. This is it – we have to make it. People will say that the Y gave us money because somebody gave us money but when they give you money, they give it earmarked for some things and if they give us money to build a building, we can’t take it to use for the Helping Early Leavers Program, we have to build the building with it. So we need this money. This money is earmarked for that only and that is why we are asking people to say we can count on them to come out and that is another reason why we lowered the ticket to $10. We felt the economy is bad, there are so many things happening this week, and $10 is not that much. So if we can get the place packed with $10 we should meet our target.”
It has also become a challenge to get women to participate in the annual fund raising event.
Birdy Francis,
“People just do not want to get on stage and Miss Y is the only pageant that don’t get any hecklers. People, even the young people love Miss Y so I don’t know why we have such a hard time getting contestants but because of the H1N1 we had a little bit more time because remember at one point I was
begging for contestants and we only had two. Well we got the six and so we’re ready to go.”
But it has not only been about preparedness the women have also strengthen the friendship and bond they share as contestants of the Ms. Y.
Myrl Bowden,
“Well it is fun, I am enjoying myself, having fun.”
Rosaline Rosemarie Munnings, 67 years old
“I am 67 years old but I am trying my best with all these girls. It is a great challenge between these girls and myself. It is all for a good cause. I’ve been saying it is a worthy cause and these children need a lot of help.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So what has the experience been like?
Sonia Grant, 69 years old
“Well a little bit of excitement because I never went on TV yet.”
Joyce Tillett,
“It was good because we finally got to know each other and we got to start mingling with each other and discussing different views with each other and we got into. Everybody is all relaxed now.”
Olga Cook,
“And you can’t beat that for the amount of fun you’ll have. We’ll have you jumping out of your seats.”
But for you to share in all the fun and laughter you have to be there to experience it. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.
The pageant is on Saturday night at the Belize City Centre. Tickets are $10 in advance $15 at the door, and $5 for children.
