Posted by Guillermo Maynez
on 4/5/2009, 23:48:23, in reply to "This is what I was busy with in April"
201.103.196.107
Congratulations! You had never told us you were the Executive Director of the Council of Turkish Canadians. Sounds like it was a great party...
--Previous Message--
: 17 April 2009
: Contact:
: Lale Eskicioglu
: 613-590-9100
: Lale@TurkishCanadians.com
:
: For immediate release
:
: Turkish Canadians Are Celebrating Children’s Day
:
: Turkish Community of Canada is proud to announce that
: it has been 30 years since they started celebrating
: April 23, Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's
: Day in Canada. This year the celebrations include a
: gala dinner to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital
: of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
:
: On April 23, 1920, the founder of the Turkish
: Republic, great statesman and visionary, Mustafa Kemal
: Atatürk, convened the Turkish Grand National Assembly
: in Ankara. This was the first step towards a
: democratic, independent, secular and modern Republic
: of Turkey. Atatürk dedicated April 23 to the children
: of the country to emphasize that they were the future
: of the new nation.
:
: Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on
: September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of
: Lausanne on July 24, 1923, the formation of the
: Turkish Republic became possible on October 29, 1923.
: Atatürk and the nation, then started the task of
: establishing the institutions of the new state. Over
: the following ten years, Turkish Republic performed
: sweeping reforms to create the modern Turkey we have
: today.
:
: Turkey’s April 23 Children’s Day is a first in the
: world. By dedicating this important national day to
: children, Atatürk, not only entrusted the future of
: this young nation to her children, but also showed the
: world the importance he placed on the health and
: education of young people.
:
: Every year, the children in Turkey celebrate this
: National Sovereignty and Children's Day with guest
: children from all around the world. Schools
: participate in week-long ceremonies marked by
: performances in large stadiums. Also on this day, the
: children send their representatives to replace state
: officials and high ranking bureaucrats in their
: offices. The President, the Prime Minister, the
: Cabinet Ministers, and provincial governors all turn
: their offices over to the children's representatives
: for the day. These children, in turn, sign executive
: orders relating to educational and environmental
: policies. On this day, the children also replace the
: parliamentarians in the Grand National Assembly and
: hold a special session to discuss matters concerning
: children's issues.
:
: Guest children from around the world are housed in
: Turkish homes and have the opportunity to interact
: with kids from other nations and learn about each
: other's cultures. When all nations’ children
: participate in the special session of the parliament,
: a truly international Assembly is formed, where
: children pledge their commitment to international
: peace and friendship.
:
: This year in Canada, Turkish community is celebrating
: with a gala dinner on behalf of the Children’s
: Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). The event will
: take place on April 23, 2009, at St. Elias Centre in
: Ottawa. All profits from the evening will go to CHEO.
:
: Turkish Canadians are also working on a greater
: Children’s Day event that would mirror the festivities
: in Turkey. Next year, with the help of the members of
: the parliament, we hope to establish a children’s
: parliament for a day in which each MP would be
: represented by a child from that MP’s riding.
:
: Canadians of Turkish origin are proud of being owners
: of world’s first national children’s holiday which is
: recognized all over the world. With charity events
: like this year’s CHEO fundraiser and next year’s
: children’s parliament, Turkish community hopes to make
: Ottawa, the children’s capital of the world.
:
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:
: Bad Time to Be a Lamb
: By Caroline Phillips, The Ottawa Citizen, April 27,
: 2009
:
: There's a Turkish saying that one good laugh is worth
: a thousand lamb chops. If so, the laughter heard at
: the Turkish Canadian Fundraising Gala Dinner for CHEO
: on Thursday made for a lot of nervous lambs.
:
: Some 275 guests met at the St. Elias Centre for a
: Middle Eastern meal, cultural entertainment, a fashion
: show and auctions. The evening surpassed organizers'
: goal of $10,000 for the children's hospital.
:
: Dinner guests participated in yoga laughter led by
: Sophie Terrasse. It involved rhythmic clapping,
: chanting and even speaking gibberish to one's
: neighbours.
:
: The gala was held in honour of Children's Day, which
: is celebrated in Turkey. On hand were Kevser Taymaz,
: president of the Council of Turkish Canadians, and its
: executive director, Lale Eskicioglu. Dave Smith helped
: as auctioneer while Semiha Cantas, owner of Cantas and
: Ilkiz boutiques, ran the fashion show.
:
: In attendance was Zeynep Akgunay, wife of Turkish
: Ambassador Rafet Akgunay. The embassy sponsored the
: wine and Turkish dessert. Guests also included Scott
: Taylor of Esprit de Corps military magazine, and his
: wife, Katherine. Taylor has a special spot in his
: heart for Turkey: its government helped him and his
: Turkish colleague after they were kidnapped by a
: radical Islamist group in Iraq in 2004.
:
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