Some 80 young boys from the Boyz2Men programme paid tribute to the first lady in their lives at the annual dinner for their moms, held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman on Saturday night, 12 May.
During the special dinner, one by one and with a single rose in hand, each boy stood up and shared from the heart reasons they love their mom. Some delivered simple words of thanks while others highlighted their mothers’ support, sacrifice, good cooking, and the difference they had made in their lives.
“I love you mom because you’re the rock which keeps me grounded and you’re the most special person in my life,” one boy said. “I wanted to give this rose is to show my never-ending gratitude”.
Another shared, “I love you mom because although you gave me a house, you are my home.”
From test to testimony
Attendees were moved to tears as keynote speaker Ezra Redden shared his rough childhood, watching his mom deal with addiction and being incarcerated.
Despite the challenges, Redden determined to be her inspiration.
He encouraged the boys to give their mom “grace, treat her right, respect her”.
“I stood by my mother’s side and despite of all those challenges, she was publicised for the wrong things. I stuck by my mom, built that relationship and now she’s a different woman today.
“Today, she’s a clean woman… I don’t keep track of [her sobriety] anymore because I made up in my mind, and she made up in her mind that it’s only forward, there’s no going back…there’s no going back.”
He noted his mom used to be “publicised for the wrong things, but now she has been publicised recently for being [one] of the first female heavy truck/machinery operators at the Department of Environmental Health”.
He invited his mother onto the stage and told her, “Mom, I love you because despite all of the challenges, all that you went through… the chances you got and every opportunity you got to express your love towards us, you did that. I’m thankful that you never ever put me down, you [were] always there for me at the times that you were available.”
Redden added, “the mess of your past will one day be a message of hope”.
The ‘Fine Dining with Moms’ event also featured a special dance with mothers and sons, remarks from MP Wayne Panton, a culture trip highlight video, recognition of special donors to the programme and live entertainment.
The Boyz2Men programme, which started 13 years ago, is a high-school-based mentorship initiative, empowering at-risk men in Cayman, and run by the three directors of the board – Christopher Murray, Simon Miller and Seaford Russell Jr.
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