For nearly 75 years, the Altruist Club of Roanoke has presented a debutante ball. But after COVID-19, rallying participants became a challenge. Therefore, the organization sought an alternative to the traditional event, and in December presented “The Miss Sparkle of Elegance Pageant.”
“Our Debutante Balls have afforded great support to young ladies in our community by providing sizeable scholarships, and we just couldn’t give up on that,” says Mollie DeBerry, who serves as the group’s vice president. The club has given more than $150,000 to deserving college-bound students and charities throughout the years.
The Miss Sparkle concept was the brainchild of Ms.DeBerry, who has served as an advisor to the Miss Virginia Pageant and has produced other pageants on her own. “This type of event provided an opportunity for our young ladies to showcase their talent,” she says. “We are thrilled our first event was so successful and that the community embraced our new pageant.”
Club President Andrea Haley echoes Ms. DeBerry’s comments. “This was a wonderful event, and everyone seemed to enjoy the pageant,” says Mrs. Haley.
Thirteen girls competed in talent, evening wear and question-and-answer categories. Cynthia Conti and Lee Weaver with Oakey’s Funeral Home; Yoedie Cleveland Swain, owner of Diva’s House of Hair; Gloria Warner, music instructor with Roanoke City Public Schools; and Sheila Balderson, retired curriculum specialist for foreign languages with Roanoke City Public Schools, served as judges. Dr. Kimberly Clay, endocrinologist with Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and Mary Ann Mather, a retired educational consultant, served as statisticians, tallying the judges’ votes.
Simone Bryant, a senior at William Fleming High School, was the winner in the senior category, and runner-up was Zoe Harris, also a senior at William Fleming. Ayva Haley, a sophomore at Christiansburg High School, took the crown in the ninth-11th grade division. First runner up was Blise Tuyizere, an 11th grader at William Fleming.
The middle school winners were Layah Harris, an eighth-grade student at Breckinridge Middle School, and runner-up was Meya Haley, a sixth grader at Christiansburg Middle School. Brooklyn Bradley, a fourth-grade student at Westside Elementary School was the winner at the elementary school level. Jolae Turner, who is home schooled was runner up.
Entrepreneur Yoedie Swain, who served as a judge, provided $100 awards to each participant. “I believe that our young people need to receive encouragement along the way and, I want to do my part to provide a bit of that encouragement to help them strive to be the best they can be,” he says. Swain urged the young ladies to consider using the funds to establish a savings account if they did not have one. Swain’s commitment to serving the community grows each year whether he is assisting a group of young people or a senior citizen in need of a helping hand.
Club member QuoVadis Washington-Brown co-chaired the event. Asia Stephens with Oakey’s Funeral Home also donated her time to the pageant. Club member Melinda J. Payne was the emcee and created the beautiful programs. The Altruist Club extends its gratitude to all its sponsors.
