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www.celtic-connection.com
SEPTEMBER 2001
Organizers Need
Support for Prestigious Irish Dancing Event
ANCOUVER - Violet Moore of the Moore School of Irish Dance and Leslie Wilson of Scoil Rince De Danaan will play host to Western Canada's most prestigious Irish dancing event from November 9 to 12.
The Western Canadian Oireachtas will take place at the Metrotown Hilton on MacKay Avenue in Burnaby on November 9 and 10. The annual Moore School Feis will follow on November 11. In conjunction with the Oireachtas, the First Annual Western Canadian Irish Fiddle Championship, chaired by Roxana Sabir, will take place on November 11.
The Baile Atha Cliath Rince Society and the De Danaan Irish Cultural Society, parent fundraising committees for both schools, must raise 835,000 for this World Championship qualifying competition.
Organizers are expecting 800 of the best Irish dancers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia to participate. Co-Chairperson Violet Moore said, "We want to provide the highest possible quality platform for the competitors who have worked hard to reach this level of merit.
"To accommodate these numbers, we require a hotel with an 8,000 square foot conference/ballroom area, along with air travel, accommodation, food and wages for six adjudicators and three musicians from Ireland, England and North America. We also require awards appropriate to the calibre of the competition and non-slip staging adequate for the 24' 30' dance floors."
In order to meet their 835,000 budget, the fundraising committee needs the support of the community. To reach their goal, they are offering the following levels of sponsorship:
Platinum Level Sponsor - 810,000 donation entitles sponsor to signage at the venue, acknowledgement on a 10-year perpetual trophy, acknowledgement on a set of championship trophies (First, Second and Third Place), full page advertisement in the program, acknowledgement on the donor list, and a plaque acknowledging the contribution to the community.
Gold Level Sponsor - 85,000 to 89,999 donation entitles sponsor to signage at the venue, acknowledgement on a set of championship trophies (First, Second and Third Place), full page advertisement in the program, acknowledgement on the donor list, and a plaque acknowledging the contribution to the community.
Silver Level Sponsor - 82,500 to 84,999 donation entitles sponsor to signage at tie venue, full page advertisement in the program, acknowledgement on the donor list, and a plaque acknowledging the contribution to the community.
Bronze Level Sponsor - 81,000 to 82,499 donation entitles sponsor to a full page advertisement in the program, acknowledgement on the donor list, and a plaque acknowledging the contribution to the community.
Or, sponsors can place an advertisement in the program at the following prices: Full page - 8500; V4 page - 8250; Vz page - 8125.; business card - 850.
Your support of this exciting cultural educational activity for the youth of our community and Western Canada is vital to ensuring its continued success," said Moore, "please be generous in considering us."
Violet Moore, along with her Co-Chair Leslie Wilson welcome everyone to join in celebrating the Oireachtas dancers who will entertain you with a calibre of dancing equal to that of Riverdance or the Lord of the Dance himself, all for the nominal entrance fee of 810.
For more information, call Violet Moore at (604) 522-0445 or Leslie Wilson at (604) 290-4129. Visit their website at: www.homestead.com/ violetmooreschool/
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St. Vincent de Paul Society Continues to Need Volunteers to Carry on Their Works of Charity
After the love of God. your principal concern must be to serve the sick poor with great gentleness and cordiality, sympathizing with them in ailments and listening to their little complaints.... for they look on you as people sent by God to help them.
You are therefore intended to represent the goodness of God
in the eyes of the sick poor. - Saint Vincent de Paul (1637) Feast Day, September 27
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - In last month's issue of The Celtic Connection, I reported on the Annual General Assembly of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which was held in Vancouver, and attended by representatives from all over the world.
The event was organized by two of the organization's leading members in Vancouver, Tom O'Flynn and Rose Morin. After the assembly, they spoke to me about their commitment to helping the poor and the charitable work of the society.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society was formed in France in 1846 by Frederick Ozanam, an 18-year old university student who, along with a group of fellow students, were heckled for Christian values and desire to help the sick and the poor. They chose St. Vincent de Paul as their spiritual role model and formed the society.
Tom O'Flynn, the past-president of the society in Vancouver, is a native of Kilmeedy, County Limerick. He immigrated to Canada in 1953 and has been a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the past 40 years.
He spoke about the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, saying, "In 1847 and 1848, when the great famine in Ireland was at its worst, Frederick Ozanam raised £15,000 in France to take to Ireland to feed the starving and sick famine victims- This is as compared to Queen Victoria who contributed all of £5."
......
VOLUNTEERS who worked on this year's St. Vincent de Pau Annual General Assembly on their way to enjoy a boat cruise thanking them for their efforts at the conference
In Vancouver, the St. Vincent de Paul Society was started in St. Patrick's Parish and has been active since 1910. O'Flynn said today, "the St. Vincent de Paul Society will get calls for help, usually through the church rectory at St. Patrick's Parish or on our help line at the Value Shoppe on Twelfth Avenue and Main Street.
"Someone will go out to visit these people in their homes and assess their needs and see what way we can help them. Sometimes, it's referring them to different agencies for help. Others need food, clothing or furniture, and that's basically the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society."
Current President of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society, Rose Morin spoke about the concerns in recruiting younger members. She said, " Because we are an aging population of 'Vincentians', we need to introduce a youth theme to the Society. We need to not only recruit more members, we need to recruit younger members who can carry on our work when we're no longer able to do it."
Anyone interested in volunteering with the St. Vincent de Paul Society will find a listing in their local telephone book. If this is not available, Rose Morin said, "contact your local parish and usually
ROSE MORIN, President of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Vancouver with Tom O'Flynn.
the priest or secretary will refer you to the nearest St. Vincent de Paul conference or council. Or, call the St. Vincent de Paul Value Shoppe in Vancouver at (604) 873-1003."
[Following this year's Annual General Assembly, St. Vincent de Paul volunteers enjoyed a boat cruise thanking them for their hard work. This was arranged by President Rose Morin and Sheila Coutu]
Comerford School Shines at North American Irish Dancing Championships
By GREG HANNA
VANCOUVER - Dancers with the Comerford School of Irish Dance recently returned from the North American Irish Dancing Championships held in Toronto. The entry roster was the largest ever for the North American competition with almost 300 entries. A quarter of these were international entries.
The event was held at the Harbour Centre in Toronto and Comerford School placed very well in all areas of the competition. Out of 24 Comerford entries, 14 placed with
32 team medals, ranging from a second place solo to a third place choreography team placing along with many others in all age levels.
Many people commented that this was the first Worlds Championship outside of Ireland since the annual World Championships were cancelled due to the foot and mouth crisis in Ireland.
Comerford School continues to elevate the level of world-class dancers with new classes opening this year in Bellingham and Olym-pia, Washington, in addition to the current established classes in Seattle, Portland, North Vancouver and Alaska. While currently
on vacation, classes continue to hold registration by visiting the Comerford website at: www.tonycomerford.com, or by calling (604) 913-1081 and leaving a message.
At this time, Comerford School is gearing toward their annual extravaganza to be held on December 1 and 2 at the Sheraton Wall Centre on Burrard Street in Vancouver. This will highlight the year for Irish Dancing in the Pacific Northwest with a Christmas theme of dance and culture. Sponsors and interested advertisers are invited to contact the school through the above listed website and telephone number.