Basseterre, St. Kitts – In one of her first appearances as the 2017-2018 National Carnival Queen, Sheniqua Lanns provided the keynote note address to The Rotary Club of Liamuiga at its first general meeting in January.
Ms. Lanns enthralled Rotary Club members and guests during its breakfast meeting with a speech that outlined her journey to the crown, her vision for her reign and her platform “COINS – Children of Incarcerated Nationals.”
Mesmerized by pageantry at an early age, Ms. Lanns recalled her dream to stand on the national carnival stage. At 23 when she made the decision to apply as a contestant, she was anxious over the six-panel interview but recalled, "I stood confidently and was able to charm the panellists with my personality. Two days later, I received an email stating that I was selected to be one of the six ambassadors for the 2017 Miss National Carnival Queen Pageant.” Ms Lanns outshined her competitors and won the crown in her very first pageant.
The newly crowned Carnival Queen reminder her audience that “there is much more to being a title holder than sparkles and beauty.” Ms. Lanns has selected a platform focused on Children of Incarcerated Nationals or COINS. Her choice is influenced by the work of her own mother.
“My mother is the caregiver of two little girls, ages 2 and 3 whose father is incarcerated for 13 years. These two little girls are forced to grow through life without their father’s physical presence, love, support and guidance. The thought of this is absolutely disheartening,” said Ms Lanns. “I could not imagine what life would have been like without my father – a man with whom I have a close bond. Consequently, I decided to utilize this particular platform to create greater awareness of the needs of Children of Incarcerated Nationals and how we as a society can play a greater role in looking at this vulnerable group.”
During her reign, Ms. Lanns plans to launch “100 Days of Love.” This programme is geared towards children of incarcerated nationals and will include collecting donations of food care packages, school supplies, as well coordinating counselling, support services (including homework assistance), mentoring and the promotion of sports, arts and other extracurricular activities.
Ms Lanns was thanked for her presentation by Dr Marcus L Natta, Vice President of the Rotary Club of Liamuiga, who encouraged her to continue her great outreach efforts and pledged the Club’s support for COINS.
