CALC corner NOTE from the PRESIDENT It is one of our favorite times of the year — the holiday season is fast approaching. One of CALC’s largest annual events is taking place this month. Our Holiday Boutique Extravaganza is being held for the first time at Clair Konja the beautiful Shenandoah Country Club. This year we are featuring some new and exciting vendors. You can buy a stocking stuffer or a secret Santa gift — anything from chocolate-covered apples to pears. We are also introducing our very first custommade CALC Christmas ornament specially designed by the famed Curtis Posuniak called Klassics by Kurtis. We hope to see you at the Annual Holiday Boutique on Thursday, November 3, 6-10 p.m. Ticket price is $25 per person. Call the CALC office for tickets. Also, this month we are featuring a new event, Advent by Candlelight. This celebrates the start of the Advent season. Reflection by Candlelight will be an evening of spirituality and holiness that will prepare your heart and mind for the coming Christmas season. It is a special evening of shared stories, beautiful music and song, and candlelit conversations. A special prayer will be done in Sourath. Members can sponsor/host a table of 8 or 10 for $60 and decorate it with a holiday theme and invite family and friends to this special event. If you are unable to get a large group together, we will have seating and reservations for individuals ($15 per person) who would like to attend. We want everyone to be a part of this celebration. Join us at the Farmington Hills Manor for this unique event. For more information call the CALC office at (248) 352-5018. Lastly, please don’t forget our membership drive is coming up. Your $35 annual membership dues are a vital donation to CALC — enabling us to donate needed funds to various groups, individuals and families. This year alone, we donated thousands of dollars to the Hurricane Katrina Fund, Tsunami Fund, Patriarch Emmanuel Delly, Chaldeans sisters who support orphans, and to various families throughout the year. We look forward to your continued support of CALC. We hope everyone not only renews their membership but recruits a new member. — Clair Konja, President Chaldean kids walk for a cause ‘SWEETS FOR THE SWEET’ Our Female Mentors came out on Saturday, October 15, to host a chocolate-making party at the Sacred Heart Chaldean Church for girls in Detroit’s Project Can Start Program. The girls, ages 9-15, enjoyed learning to make different types of chocolate and candy with the assistance of their Mentors, whom have spent time this summer establishing meaningful relationships with the girls and acting as role models for them. “By providing girls with positive mentoring relationships, I feel we’ve been able to give girls an opportunity to experience fun activities,” stated Kristen Sagmani, one of the Project CAN START Mentors. “I really enjoy spending time with my young mentee, and feel like I am making a difference in the life of a young girl.” DONATING TO HURRICANE KATRINA The CALC donated $2,000 to St. Aloysius in Detroit to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina who ended up in Michigan. They are using the money to help buy school supplies and get back on their feet. The church took in about 200 families. CALC - PROJECT CAN START WALKATHON ON On Saturday, September 17, the Chaldean American Ladies of Charity and Youth from Project CANSTART (Chaldean Americans for Non Violence, Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows) held a Walkathon in an effort to bring a solution to arson and vacant homes in our neighborhood by increasing awareness about the problem. The youth-directed community service learning project included a special visit to the Firehouse where Detroit Firefighters from Engine 44, Ladder 18 provided youth with valuable information on fire prevention and safety tips. The Walkathon drew more than 60 community members as our group traveled down 7 Mile Road to bring out the message for fire safety. Participants wore T-shirts with a special logo created by youth in the program. Making chocolate is a sweet thing EMPOWERED VOICES FOR GIRLS CALC is beginning its “Empowered Voices” Program in West Bloomfield. This program aims to strengthen bonds between adolescent and preadolescent Chaldean girls and their mothers. The exciting nine-month program focuses on girls’ development, including improving and maintaining highself esteem, strengthening the relationship among girls and between girls and women, and building critical thinking, problem-solving, and other skills. For additional information about this unique program or to register for the program, please contact Jane Shallal at (248) 352-5018. PROJECT VENTURE - GOVERNOR AWARDS GRANT FOR YOUTH The Chaldean American Ladies of Charity (CALC) has been awarded grant funding by the Governor’s Office for Project Venture, a unique program to serve Chaldean youth living in the tri-county area. Project Venture is an outdoors experiential youth development program that focuses on building skills in self-confidence, teamwork, cooperation and trust, through service learning projects, outdoor adventure activities, and a leadership camp. By basing its focus on a healthy lifestyle approach to prevention, Project Venture is intended to result in the elimination of or in the significant reduction or delay in the onset or use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Project Venture’s experiential learning activities are combined with lessons in problem solving, skill building, communication, good habits, goal setting and self development. The weekend leadership adventure camp at the end of the program aims to build trust, self-esteem and teamwork and self-improvement. Project Venture, which will be held year round, will be serving Chaldean youth in the 6th through 9th grades living in four southeast Michigan communities, Detroit, Oak Park, Southfield and Sterling Heights (this last site includes Chaldean Youth from Warren, Troy and Madison Heights). “We are very excited about implementing this very innovative program and thank the Governor and the Office of Drug Control Policy for providing us with an opportunity to provide drug prevention and youth services in the community,” stated Clair Konja, President of the CALC. If you wish to register your child for Project Venture, please contact Jane Shallal at the CALC office. 18 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>NOVEMBER</strong> <strong>2005</strong> ADVERTORIAL
Expert fitting for every look 265 S. Old Woodward • Birmingham (248)642-2555 Hours: Mon. - Sat. 9:30 - 6:00 <strong>NOVEMBER</strong> <strong>2005</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 19
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