True Beauty
Growing up people often told you how beautiful you are. You don't quite believe it until you take time in front of a mirror and realize this girl on the cover of seventeen has nothing on you. Soon your parents begin to notice it takes you a little longer to get out of the bathroom. In school you reluctantly enter a contest and amazingly enough you win 2 nd place. This small triumph only makes you want to go for the gold the next time around. Before you know it you are hooked. No one can take you away from the lime light. Your spare time is spent finding out where the next pageant is. Well! It doesn't happen that way for every girl.
While researching beauty pageants around the world on the internet, a local girl of Caribbean heritage discovers just that; a pageant that focuses on promoting the Caribbean heritage. Having already checked on the numerous fees and pre-requisites for some of the others she focused on the reasons why she would participate in each and every one. Beauty Pageants are not only about beauty they are about promotion, self esteem and about the ways one can use beauty to attract attention thereby making a difference in a too often ugly world.
The Miss Florida Caribbean Pageant offers Caribbean Americans a venue to promote their culture, themselves, and a platform dear to their heart. Contestants also enjoy a multitude of gifts from the sponsors, photo opportunities, promotional tours, multimedia exposure, Health and Beauty classes, articulation, exercise, grace and an etiquette training that will last a lifetime. There are no losers in the business of pageants. Every contestant leaves with something precious and a life enhancing experience. Many of our Caribbean young women continue to enter pageants for one reason or another. Today it is still the shortest way to a young woman's 15 minutes of fame.
Elite Entertainment Productions, Inc. the producers of the Miss Florida Caribbean Pageant envisioned a regal Caribbean pageant celebrating beauty, culture and style. The vision soon became a reality when in October 2001 nine delegates representing the various Caribbean Nations of Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago participated in the first ever Miss Florida Caribbean Pageant. During the competition delegates appear in their national costumes followed by a showcase of their talent. The swimsuit/fitness competition then receives vigorous applause and the evening gowns are displayed with grace. Finalists vow to be true to the platform as judges from Caribbean nations examine answers to their rigorous questions and carefully tabulate the scores. The incumbent queen then bestows the crown on a deserving true Caribbean Queen.
In 2003 the Miss Florida Caribbean Pageant announced their official platform would be HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Elite Entertainment Productions the producers of the pageant have partnered with YouthAIDS a multinational non-profit organization that strives to increase youth awareness of the growth of the HIV / AIDS epidemic, to educate the youth on prevention which is the cheapest, safest method of staying clear of any Sexually Transmitted Disease. The delegates automatically become ambassadors for YouthAIDS as they enter the pageant. The queen travels during her reigning year to various Caribbean countries and visits with the organizations and the people affected by the disease. YouthAIDS is working in 70 countries to educate and protect 15-24 year olds from a life of HIV/AIDS. YouthAIDS operates HIV/AIDS education programs in Cuba , the Dominican Republic , Guyana and Haiti . The organization will soon expand to Belize and Trinidad & Tobago. As the queen visits the schools she always has the same message of “Prevention through Education.”
Every fall the various Caribbean communities look forward to attending this prestigious event which continues to grow twofold year after year. On November 14 th the Caribbean community will once again crown a true Caribbean queen. The Grand Coronation Show begins at 6:00PM at The Wyndham Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel in Dania Beach , Florida . You don't want to miss it.