Beauty with a Purpose: The Pageant That’s Redefining Volunteerism

When eight young women take the stage at Saint Lucia’s National Cultural Centre on November 8, they won’t be judged on poise alone – but on the lives they’ve changed. The Ms Good Deeds Day Pageant has turned traditional beauty competitions on their head by crowning kindness above all else.

What began in 2007 as a local initiative has blossomed into a volunteer expedition, with contestants spending months serving communities before ever facing a spotlight. From soup kitchens to school programmes, these women earn their sashes through sweat and service, proving pageantry can be a force for good.

Diane Felicien, founder of the pageant and who leads Good Deeds Day in the Caribbean, designed the competition to mirror the International Day of Service celebrated in 115 countries.

Months before the pageant, and especially on the day that shares its name, contestants engage with communities nationwide, from schoolchildren to seniors, leaving a trail of goodwill.

They draw on those experiences on the night of the show. “The questions are based on volunteerism, the talent, the dresses – everything will be based on volunteerism and Good Deeds Day,” Felicien told St Lucia Times.

While her Do-Nation Foundation, established in 2001, successfully connected aid with those needing it, she faced a growing challenge: a steady decline in volunteerism, particularly among young people. Rather than accept this as a sign of the times, Felicien saw it as a call to get creative and find fresh ways to inspire a new generation of changemakers.

For contestants, the experience can be transformative.

The 2023 first runner-up attended the International Good Deeds Conference, presenting on engaging Gen Z in service and forging relationships with peers from across the world.

She now works in HR at a local resort. A 2024 contestant was hired directly by her pageant sponsor.

Elvina Emmanuel, crowned Ms Good Deeds Day 2024, admits she entered sceptically after a negative pageant experience.

“In fact, I only joined the pageant a month before the actual event, while the other girls had been part of it from the very beginning,” she told the St Lucia Times. “However, as I spent more time with the girls, I began to realise that one bad experience doesn’t define all others.”

Now, she calls her journey “amazing,” crediting the title for opportunities like hosting her own TV show and an upcoming volunteer trip to Togo.

“Becoming Ms Good Deeds has opened my eyes to a new side of volunteerism,” she reflected. “I’ve learned to embrace the power of giving back, and it’s heartwarming to see how one simple act of kindness can brighten someone’s day.”

This year’s theme, Breaking Barriers, challenges contestants to address disability inclusion and social issues. Last week they participated in the Do-Nation Foundation’s Good Deeds Day soup kitchen which fed 450 people.

Emmanuel insists it’s not about winning or beauty: “It’s about volunteerism, which is essential in a young woman’s life.”