Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant – Now Celebrating Its Silver Jubilee Coronation on June 29
CORAL SPRINGS – Twenty contestants are competing for the crowns as ambassadors of The Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant now celebrating its 25th anniversary. This year, the Silver Jubilee Coronation takes place on Sunday, June 29th starting at 5:00 p.m., at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Coral Springs, Florida.
Contestants ages 5- 21, will compete in four age categories (Little Miss, Junior Miss, Miss Teen, and Miss – Jamaica Florida) for a coveted title at the Coronation Ceremony where they will showcase their talents through a creative expression theme which venerate song, dance and drama, followed by a question and answer segment during live interview.
Tickets to the show are adults $30 (advance) and $35 (at gate), and children under 12 pay $15. For more information visit www.MissJamaicaFlorida.com or call 954-600-0334 or 561-317-4479.
This year, is especially significant as the event themed “Milestone” is honoring the silver jubilee anniversary of the Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant started in 1990, by the late Anthony Bernard Baker, for his work in the arts, and the development of youth programs through the establishment of Anthony Baker, Incorporated, (ABI). Since his passing in 1997, the organization which has served as an inspiration to our young women in the Jamaican Diaspora has since been sustained by his widow and business partner, Marcia Rigg-Baker, and the Board of Directors for The Partners for Youth Foundation (PYF), a charitable, non-profit organization.
The Pageant, the annual fundraiser for the Foundation, is but one of the many achievements, a vehicle that enhances the cultural and educational development of Jamaican youth in the Diaspora, and in Jamaica. Through the instrumentality of the PYF, each year, a female student is afforded a scholarship to further her college education, in the Arts program.
In addition, over the years, the crowned ambassadors have been afforded a four-day prize-winning trip to Jamaica, where they have met with government officials and other dignitaries, and participate in humanitarian projects adopted by the Partners for Youth Foundation, namely the Jamaica National Children’s Home and the Bustamante Hospital for Children, both located in Kingston. The trip has also included visits to famous tourist attractions and national landmarks across the island.
The Foundation has also presented as a great experience for young women of Jamaican descent, who are residents of Florida State as they have become involved in their community through networking opportunities, local cultural activities, as well as volunteering in educational and charitable programs working with other national charity leaders like the local Kiwanis clubs, the Footprints Foundation among others. The contestants are empowered through leadership and social interaction skills to improve areas of self-development. According to Mrs. Rigg- Baker, “I have no doubt that over the 25 years, we have succeeded in meeting some of our objectives as many of the winners of the past 24 pageants have gone on to excel academically and in their careers; and based on the coaching they have received through ABI in preparation for the pageant, have moved on to be women of quality, and women of substance in the wider society.”
Sponsors, so far, include Grace Foods USA, JAMAQUE, DavidiPhoto, Jamaican Women of Florida (JWOF), National Weekly, BAR Realtor, Island Design Studio, Caribbean Dreams, and Walkers Food.
