An aristocratic title is not enough to ensure a noble behaviour. A person's greatness comes from acknowledging the mistakes and agreeing to correct them.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
British actress Vanessa Redgrave has been announced to participate in the second Annual Halloween Charity Ball that will take place at the Palace of Parliament on October 28, according to a press release.
In the first edition of the ball last year, 650 prominent locals and members of the expatriate community joined together in an assortment of glamorous and sometimes amusing costumes to raise over 100,000 euros for Asociatia Ovidiu Rom's social and educational programs for impoverished children. "A lot of people warned us that Romanians would never show up in costume - but they did - and it was tremendous fun," observed Ovidiu Rom president Leslie Hawke.
"October 28 will again be a great evening of networking, dining and dancing, and the chance to bid on a wide variety of interesting auction items" said Hawke. Items up for auction include a men's watch by Bulgari donated by Ethan Hawke; a test drive with Mihai Leu, the former WBO Welterweight Champion (1997) and national rally driver, and a theater trip to New York City that includes airfare, hotel accommodations and house seats to the hottest show on Broadway, Tom Stoppard's "The Coast of Utopia." "I hope to include lunch with Ethan Hawke as one of the components of this auction item, but I haven't asked him yet," said Leslie Hawke, adding that her son will not be at the ball because he is appearing in "The Coast of Utopia," six days a week from October through February.
The very popular "Dance" auction will return this year as guests bid to dance with one of the many celebrity presenters/guests.
Guests at the event will also have a chance to buy an authentic Venetian mask, hand picked and transported by Leslie Hawke herself on a recent trip to the Venice Film Festival. "Guests are not required to come in masquerade, but there will be a very special grand prize for Best Costume," noted Hawke. Guests will also have the opportunity to win a basket of luxury goods simply by making a donation to the cause. "We invite anyone who is interested in both having a 'ball' and helping poor children gain the skill to work their way out of poverty to participate on October 28."
Originally a Celtic celebration to ward off evil spirits, Halloween is widely celebrated throughout the US. On October 31 children dress up as their favorite fantasy characters and go door-to-door "trick or treating" in the early evening collecting candy in their treat bags. The tradition is being introduced and is slowly becoming popular in various parts of Europe.
Led by major sponsorships from ProTV, Rompetrol, Citigroup, Unilever, Nobel Romania and the Athenee Palace Hilton, Ovidiu Rom relies on the 2006 Halloween Ball to raise most of its 350,000 euro budget for 2007.
"In addition to providing direct services to over 400 children and 200 families," Leslie Hawke explained, "we have initiated a national campaign to get every child in school. I am proud of what we are currently doing, but it's really only the tip of the iceberg. The literacy rate is going down in Romania and the drop-out rate is going up. That's not a good dynamic for a European country."
"Ovidiu Rom has had tremendous success - in three very different communities - in getting desperately poor kids into school at an early age and helping them to succeed there. We think it's time to take our model national."
"I believe deeply in every child's fundamental right to an education - so they can reach their potential and we as a society can break the poverty cycle," she continued.
"I think the most important thing we have achieved in the last five years is showing that when people are given the opportunity and support, they will work very hard to improve their lives and the futures of their children." Hawke concluded.
Ovidiu Rom has received many awards for its program design and achievements including: the Pantene "Beauty of Spirit" award, 2006; USAID Outstanding Citizen Citation, January 2005; AmCham's CSR Special Jury Award, 2003; and People Magazine's "People First" award, 2002.
Leslie Hawke arrived in Bacau six years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer and was disturbed to see children begging on the street, seemingly ignored by social services, the school system and the general public. Inspired by a program for homeless men in New York called "Ready, Willing and Able" and funded by USAID, Hawke was joined by Maria Gheorghiu and other Romanian colleagues eager to make a change in the lives of the poorest children in Romanian society. In 2004 Hawke and Gheorghiu founded Asociatia Ovidiu Rom - a two-tiered program to get children off the streets and registered in school and a job training and social support program for their mothers so that they have an alternative to begging.
For further information on the Halloween Charity Ball and/or Asociatia Ovidiu Rom, please contact: Simona Ilas, 0723.222.550 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Copyright © 2004-2006 Bucharest Daily News
*** sustineti [romania_eu_list] prin 2% din impozitul pe 2005 - detalii la http://www.doilasuta.ro ***
| Nh lake region real estate | New hampshire lake region real estate |
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
