Castlegar Refugee Project (CaRE) members are hard at work planning two special events for February.
They are inviting individuals or groups with cultural and ethnic displays, dances, songs, poems or other items connected with their culture to participate.
In the spirit of celebrating the richness of culture in our area, the group is organizing a new event for this year. The International Culture Showcase will be held on Friday, Feb. 9 at the Brilliant Cultural Center and it will be sponsored by the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ community.
CaRE organizer Julie Leffelaar says, “It will give a wonderful opportunity to experience music, song and colour together.”
She also says not to worry about putting together a perfected act, “We are as interested in the fun of a folk dance or a child reading a traditional poem as we are in highly polished pieces.”
Contact Patrick Audet to sign up or get more information at contact.eapaudet@shaw.ca.
The second event will be a repeat from the last few years — The International Culture Festival will be held on Family Day, Feb. 12, from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the Castlegar Recreation Complex. This event is sponsored by the RDCK.
The festival will be similar to previous years with tables, displays, activities and a small stage.
“It’s a fundraiser, but first and foremost, a chance for Castlegar to learn about and celebrate the many languages, traditions and cultures around us,” said Leffelaar.
New this year is a raffle — six different dinner parties for eight guests from different traditions will be raffled off. The meals will be cooked and presented by an ethnic group, and the date and venue will be decided by the lucky winner and the cook. Volunteer cooks are still needed to provide the meals.
All proceeds will be going towards the support of refugee families in the West Kootenays. Groups that are fundraising for humanitarian causes of their own during the event are welcome to keep proceeds from their own display tables.
Organizers would like potential participants to contact them soon as space and stage time is limited. Julie Leffelaar can be reached at jdleffelaar@yahoo.ca or at 250-304-0772.
CaRE is also looking for volunteers to create a second committee that would begin the process of sponsoring another refugee family.