austraLasia #2669
Starstruck in Montreal
MONTREAL: 2 July 2010 -- Towards the last week of June, Fr Rocky Evangelista of the FIN Province was in Montreal, Canada to speak before a gathering of 18,000 Rotarians from 154 countries. During the four days of plenary sessions which ended on 23 June 2010, Rotarians listened to “an impressive lineup of speakers”.
The chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America spoke about giving young people viable alternatives amid an array of downright dangerous choices facing them today. Queen Noor of Jordan said that the environment and nuclear weapons posed the biggest threats to peace in the world today. Best-selling author and co-founder of the Central Asia Institute Greg Mortenson stressed the importance of building relationship and involving local leaders as they build schools and eradicate polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Fr Rocky Evangelista, founder of the Tuloy Sa Don Bosco Street Children Village and a member of the Rotary Club of Alabang, a suburb of Metro-Manila, Philippines, told Rotarians about the urgency of helping street children. "Children in distress cannot wait", he said. "For you or me, what is a day or two? But for a child who is slowly being toughened and hardened by the harsh realities of the school of the streets, waiting is just a luxury that he or she cannot afford". He insisted: "But we cannot sit back and relax. I know the smell of misery from wandering the streets at night with volunteers to seek out street children… And let me tell you, the smell never leaves you. I will never forget that there are still children in the street".
It appears that Fr. Rocky’s speech had the longest coverage and one of the most applauded of speeches. Adding to the glitz and generosity of the Rotarian affair was American country music singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who did not only sing her hit songs but also thanked Rotary for partnering with her foundation’s Imagination Library that promoted children’s literacy. Likewise, the attendees were dazzled by the entertainment numbers of Celtic Thunder, an Irish singing group known for its combination of solos and ensembles; the daring acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil; and the soaring songs of British tenor-pop artist Russell Watson.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Starstruck in Montreal
MONTREAL: 2 July 2010 -- Towards the last week of June, Fr Rocky Evangelista of the FIN Province was in Montreal, Canada to speak before a gathering of 18,000 Rotarians from 154 countries. During the four days of plenary sessions which ended on 23 June 2010, Rotarians listened to “an impressive lineup of speakers”.
The chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America spoke about giving young people viable alternatives amid an array of downright dangerous choices facing them today. Queen Noor of Jordan said that the environment and nuclear weapons posed the biggest threats to peace in the world today. Best-selling author and co-founder of the Central Asia Institute Greg Mortenson stressed the importance of building relationship and involving local leaders as they build schools and eradicate polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Fr Rocky Evangelista, founder of the Tuloy Sa Don Bosco Street Children Village and a member of the Rotary Club of Alabang, a suburb of Metro-Manila, Philippines, told Rotarians about the urgency of helping street children. "Children in distress cannot wait", he said. "For you or me, what is a day or two? But for a child who is slowly being toughened and hardened by the harsh realities of the school of the streets, waiting is just a luxury that he or she cannot afford". He insisted: "But we cannot sit back and relax. I know the smell of misery from wandering the streets at night with volunteers to seek out street children… And let me tell you, the smell never leaves you. I will never forget that there are still children in the street".
It appears that Fr. Rocky’s speech had the longest coverage and one of the most applauded of speeches. Adding to the glitz and generosity of the Rotarian affair was American country music singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who did not only sing her hit songs but also thanked Rotary for partnering with her foundation’s Imagination Library that promoted children’s literacy. Likewise, the attendees were dazzled by the entertainment numbers of Celtic Thunder, an Irish singing group known for its combination of solos and ensembles; the daring acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil; and the soaring songs of British tenor-pop artist Russell Watson.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
