The Berry Queens seek community funding for their 15th Berry Queens’ Ball and pageant at the Sliman Event Center Sep.15, following the creation of Berry Queens LLC.

The annual fundraising event sees members perform wacky and expressive shows in equally ostentatious outfits. Previously, money raised at the event was designated for the Berry Queen’s home construction projects alongside Habitat for Humanity, but according to Berry Queens president Jerre Borland, they plan to divide the money between different community projects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Iberia Habitat for Humanity closed and pandemic restrictions canceled the Berry Queens’ annual ball. Facing a struggling economy without support from the ball and Habitat for Humanity, funding for the Berry Queens and their projects simply dried up.

This forced the organization to rethink their priorities and led to the formation of the Berry Queens LLC. According to Borland, board members already wanted to dabble in community projects, so they created the LLC to fund community projects with the money previously designated for Habitat for Humanity.

“Sometimes you have to reevaluate. Is building a house every three to five years necessary? Are we really doing what’s best for the community? Those are the questions we asked ourselves,” Borland said.

At the end of the year, the board will decide how and where to allocate the money. Currently, they plan to fund projects related to youth development, motherhood education and teacher supplies.

Berry Queens never received funding from national Habitat for Humanity, but due to restrictions imposed by the national organization which require specially-trained staff and waivers for volunteers, it became overwhelmingly difficult to work on their original projects, according to Borland.

“We might get the funds but not having volunteers makes it extremely challenging to build a house for somebody, so we can put the money towards other things in our communities,” Borland said. “We used to be able to paint with all these volunteers, but now that they have to sign all these waivers, they aren’t willing.”

This year, the Berry Queens ask members of the community, be it leaders, business owners, or just passionate New Iberia residents, to step up and sponsor the event.

The Queens established various support tiers at incremental price points aimed at business owners which include rewards like advertisements, tickets and VIP access to the ball. The prices range from $300 all the way up to $1,200. The deadline to donate is August 30. Tickets aren’t on sale just yet.

The Berry Queens may have changed, but they aren’t going anywhere, Borland reassured.

“When you love a community, you do everything you can to help it. We aren’t going anywhere, we are just in a new position to help,” Borland added.