Detroit, Michigan – April 23, 2011 – The First Annual International Children’s Festival activities took place at the Community Arts Auditorium of the Wayne State University from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Saturday, April 23, 2011 with participation of 15 groups from various countries/cultures and more than 600 in attendance. The event is hosted by the Turkish American Society of Michigan and Niagara Foundation
The festivities of the International Children’s Festival featured children ethnic performance groups from the following countries/cultures: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Hmong, India, Japan, Meskhetian Turks, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Turkey, USA (African-American) and USA (Native American).
Stands were setup for country exhibits where the guests had a chance to become more familiar with different cultures from around the world. In addition to the exhibit stands of the countries listed above, South Korea and Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Youth Union also setup exhibit stands and contributed to the event.
Women’s Branch of TASM ran a bake sale to offer Turkish food delicacies and refreshments together with face painting, popcorn and cotton candy for children from 2:00-3:00 pm.
A donation stand was available for those who would like to make donation for the benefit of the people affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Part of the proceeds from the bake sale was also donated to the Consul of Japan in Detroit for the same cause.
Dignitaries in attendance included the Honorable Kuninori Matsuda (Consul General of Japan in Detroit), the Honorable Frederick Hoffman (Honorary Consul of Germany in Detroit), the Honorable Brenda Lawrence (the mayor of the City of Southfield) and Professor Ahmad Ezzeddine (Associate Vice President for Educational Outreach and International Programs at the Wayne State University).
IN THE MEDIA…
The Detroit News:
Zaman USA:
http://zamanusa.com/us-tr/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=478868
Ebru TV:
http://news.ebru.tv/turkiye/us-news/first-annual-international-childrens-day-festival
Samanyolu TV (in Turkish Language):
http://www.samanyoluhaber.com/h_547030_abdde-cocuk-festivali-coskusu—video.html
2 May 2011 – TASM representatives visited The Honorable Mr. Kuninori Matsuda, Consul General of Japan in Detroit, and presented a donation check in the amount of $1500.00 in support of the relief efforts for those affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
GUEST COMMENTS…
“We enjoyed the event a lot, actually it was well organized, the booklets, the videos with the flag of each country as a background, and everything was really great. It was a wonderful culture exchange and very interesting performances from the different countries, thank you for doing this festival and inviting us, I am very proud and thankful for being part of this celebration and helping Japan, there should be events like this more often. Feel free to contact me at any time.”
Luly Del Real – Mexican Performance Group Teacher
“Thank you so much for having us there. You did a fabulous job to put this event together, and you accomplished a lot even this is the first time!! Our children had so much fun, learned so much, had a wonderful time watching, participating, and enjoying the food. So are all the parents. Please remember us next year. We will bring more friends, families, bring communities and bring food. We can’t wait next time. Please remember us if you have any events coming up, we love to give to our children with good performing events, as well as bringing values to the local communities.”
Cissi Lin – Chinese Performance Group Representative
“Thank you so much for organizing such great event for kids. Our kids had a very happy day. They learned a lot of different culture. Parents enjoyed the show, too. Also thank you for inviting us to join.”
Jingli Yang – Chinese Performance Group Representative
“Hindu Temple Rhythms’ Vidyanjali East Indian Dancers would like to thank you and your organization for giving us an opportunity to perform in the International Children’s day. It was a wonderful experience and the dancers had a great time. We look forward to participating every year. Though it was your first time it was a very well attended event. Our only suggestion would be that if possible to arrange it in a bigger auditorium with much better parking facility next year. The entire event was very well executed by all your members. Best wishes and thank you for your incredible effort in creating such an exciting event.”
Indian Performance Group – The Vidyanjali East Indian Dance Troupe of Michigan Hindu Temple Rhythms
“Everything was perfect. Thank you for giving us the opportunity. I hope next year, you’ll have even more attendance and do the event at a bigger venue.”
Turkish Performance Group Representative
“It was a beautiful event and very well organized. Thank you for inviting us.”
Nickole Fox – Native American Representative
“On behalf of Korean community society, I really appreciate that you gave us the opportunity to exhibit a part of Korean culture. We had really good time today and we are really expecting for the next year.”
Inah Chang – South Korea Exhibit Stand Representative