The Festival of Charities held its annual pageant on April 11 at Ormond Plantation.
The organization aims to raise awareness of Down Syndrome.
Proceeds from the event went to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater New Orleans, the ARC of St. Charles, and other local charities.
The event not only honored pageant winners from infants to adults, but also special needs pageant royalty.
Two special milestone awards were given out this year to Pierre Friloux, who works at the ARC of St. Charles, and Tracy Brumfield, who is a student at Grace King High School and will graduate in May.
Denise Lirette and Nancy Whann, directors of the organization, said that they became interested in helping charities because of personal reasons.
The pageant’s ambassador, Lecy Marie Cazalot, has Down Syndrome and is Lirette’s God daughter.
“She’s the first special queen to ever travel the pageant circuit,” Lirette said. “She has become very well-known in the pageant world…she has brought a lot of awareness about Downs Syndrome to young girls in the pageant world.”
The Festival of Charities’ next event will be a Harvest Festival in October.
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