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Mother of the Year Celia Henkis
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To pay tribute to the mothers
who reside in San Pedro, the San Pedro Town Council and the Mother's Day
committee, held a grand Mother's Day celebration on Sunday. An evening
religious ceremony was held at the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church in
their honor. The program, scheduled to take place after mass at Central
Park, was moved to The Coral Sand Convention Center at the Belize Yacht
Club due to possible showers forecasted for the evening.
The Convention Center was filled to capacity as over
five hundred mothers came out to celebrate their special day. Mayor
Alberto Nuñez, Councilor Mel Spain and Area Representative Patty Arceo
welcomed and addressed the gathering before the entertainment part of the
program commenced. Mistress of Ceremonies for this special occasion was
Ms. Vilma Villanueva.
Both Barbara's Dance Group and the San Pedro
Dance Company gave their best performances; a show fit for that wonderful
person - Mom. The Miss Chiquitita contestants also made a special
appearance during the program. As the mothers delighted in the
always-entertaining show, they enjoyed a full course dinner served by
students of St. Matthew's University. In addition, various raffles were
drawn during the program. Miss Melina Guerrero of Barbara's Dance Group
and the San Pedro High School Choir made an impressive solo appearance
singing "La Isla Bonita." Caribbean artist Keith Lyn made a special
appearance and serenaded the mothers with some of his romantic songs. No
Mother's Day celebration would be complete without Mariachis, and many
were swept off their feet as Mariachis Los Camperos, from Chetumal,
Mexico performed some of their favorites until 4:00 a.m.
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Senior dancers
of the San Pedro Dance Company
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The final announcement was the title of
Mother of the Year 2000-2001, which went to Mrs. Celia Henkis. Mrs.
Henkis was chosen from twenty-four others previously selected candidates.
Outgoing Mother of the Year, Mrs. Lina Guemez was given the honor of
choosing the winner. Mrs. Celia Henkis is 83 years old and the mother of
seven children. She received a number of prizes including a gold chain
and Mother of the Year pendant, a plaque, cake and other prizes. This
night was indeed Mrs. Henkis' night, as she also won the raffle of "Best
Mother" and received a certificate and a lamp. Mrs. Janet Acosta was
awarded a prize for being the mother of the youngest baby. This year a
new category and prize were announced: The Mother/Father Prize. The
person selected was the mother who has had the difficult task of raising
her children alone, taking on the responsibility of both parents. The
prize was a washing machine and went to Mrs. Yolanda Ayuso. By the end of
the evening over 140 prizes had been given out.
The organizers of the Mother's Day Program would like
to thank all the mothers who attended, the entertainers and all
businesses and individuals who donated towards this program.
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