PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, December 12th, the second annual Christmas Pageant of the White & Yellow Cross Care Foundation took place at St. Martin’s Home. Nineteen clients of the elderly care facility, the nursing home, and the psychogeriatric daycare department dressed up beautifully to compete in one or more categories. The overall winners of the event were (just like last year) Mrs. Meredith Dorothea and Mr. Vincent Gumbs. This event is the one that clients look most forward to all year. It is the occasion to showcase their beautiful outfits, costumes, talents, and a fantastic and fun event overall. The clients spectacularly performed dances, poems, and songs for the enjoyment of the crowd consisting of other clients, staff, and family. The event was again a great success, and we’re looking forward to organizing it again next year.
At 10 AM, the clients were completely dressed up and ready to compete. The judges scored points on effort, presentation, sound, performance, and overall appeal. We were blown away by all the talent that had signed up for the talent category. Mr. Vincent Gumbs performed a fantastic version of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” with his guitar. Mr. Mikel Krythoff wrote a touching poem: “You don’t have to stand by me.” Mr. Ricardo Thomas sang “Tears on my pillow” by Little Anthony and the Imperials. Mr. Elithene Phebe and Mr. Keith Gittens both proved loose in the hips and danced from left to right. This category was tough to score for the judges as the scores were so tight, but in the end, it was Mr. Ricardo Thomas who won 1st prize. There were only two contenders for the most talented female: Ms. Meredith Dorothea, who sang: “La perfeta tur dia no ta mes un dia,” and Ms. Sylvia Monte, who shared a poem that she’d written herself on aging. The performance of Ms. Meredith Dorothea, which many people in the crowd sang along with, had the edge and won first prize.
In the best-dressed male category, there were eight contenders: Mr. Louis Arrendell, Mr. Ashley Philips, Mr. Alixie Vlaun, Mr. Zephaniah Jonson, Mr. Remigio Chandler, Mr. Elithene Phebe, Mr. Keith Gittens, and Mr. Chrysander Jarrett, who was also our youngest contender. In the end, Mr. Zephiniah Johnson took home the prize.
For the best-dressed female, there were also eight contenders: Ms. Lucille Jno-Baptiste, Ms. Naomi Murphy, Ms. Mavis Carty, Ms. Meredith Dorothea, Ms. Elvira Delannoy, Ms. Cynthia Romeo, Ms. Sylvia Monte, and Ms. Marlene Monte. Dressed in a beautiful pink gown, Ms. Murphy took home the gold.
The category of best costume had two contenders for each sex. For the males, our youngest contender Chrysander Jarrett was dressed up like a gingerbread man, and Mr. Vincent Gumbs was dressed as a fisher (to match the song he sang). Mr. Gumbs won the first prize here. For the ladies, it was between Ms. Murphy and Ms. Dorothea, who were both looking spectacular. But it was Ms. Dorothea who won.
The winner of the category of most photogenic (via earlier submitted pictures) was no other than Ms. Sylvia Monte, and the prize for the youngest contender went to Chrysander Jarrett. The crowd’s favorite went (unsurprisingly) to Ms. Dorothea.
The overall female winner with 1st prize and three individual categories was, without a doubt, Ms. Dorothea, with Ms. Sylvia Monte as runner-up. For the men, it was much closer at the top, but Mr. Gumbs took the overall winner, with Mr. Gittens as runner-up.
We would like to thank all the contestants, the nurses who helped out the clients, the sundial students that worked with us, our MC, Ms. Minerva, for helping, and also k1 Britannia for assisting with the sound and stepping in as one of the judges. A big thank you also goes to Bregje Boetekees for helping as she made the extra funds for the prizes possible. We would like to thank all our generous sponsors who donated prizes too: Princess perfume, Crocs, K1 Britannia, and the nurses.
The competing and spectating clients had a fantastic time, and the staff and family did too. We look forward to doing this again next year and making it a yearly WYCCF tradition.
