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A 4 - The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y July 31, 2002 Birdhouse charity auction takes flight on the Internet By Melanie Cummings S P E C IA L T O T H E B E A V E R Pilgrim grateful for experience (C ontinued from p a g e A1) This fundraising co-operative is for the birds -- as well as artists, communi ty charities, businesses and anyone who cherishes beautiful objects. Sixty, one-of-a-kind, decorative bird houses lovingly painted by 44 Oakville artists are currently being auctioned at www.CharitySilentAuction.com. And a bid on these birdhouses is money well spent on the community. Money raised from this fundraising project benefits the Family Association for Residents of Oaklands Regional Centre for Developmentally Challenged Adults. The association raises funds to support extra curricular activities for the more than 75 residents living at the cen tre located at 53 Bond St. in Oakville. The online charity is the brainchild of Tony Van Alphen. The local renovation contractor and his son, Zachary, build birdhouses and feeders -- 15 different models. It's a hobby. When they supplied 60 in the spring as part of a fundraising project for the Oakville Children's Choir, the idea to do similar charitable auctions on the Internet was spawned. While the Van Alphens build, Genienne Plant organizes. For Charity Silent Auction's first online venture, she rallied 44 local artists who each volunteered their talents and time to paint the birdhouses. In return they showcase a few of their other art pieces on the Web site, as well provide a short biography. Some are pro fessional artists, and others are students from area art and public schools. Plant also managed to entice dozens of local businesses to display the bird houses on site, in a traveling show, so that local residents could see them up close and put in their own bids. The technical genius of the Internet site is due to Web master John Cussins who designed and created the Charity Silent Auction pages. It's his job to update online consumers on their bid status during the 21-day auc tion. In its first 18 days more than 400 inquiries had been logged on the Web site. The site also links onlookers to the many business sponsors' Web sites, the chosen charity, as well as the e-mail addresses of the artists. "There are so many possibilities for other items to be auctioned off and ample creative ways to fundraise for so many child-centred charities," said organizer Plant. She intends to make Charity Silent Auction a Web site that is accessed by non-profit agencies across the nation. At midnight today (July 31) online bidding for the birdhouses closes. But phone bids can be made until Friday, Aug. 2 by calling 905-857-8549. u 4 t JL ,y* T # * .« * · fiATHE* re.c>3» Me you not h fQ Jamie Smith · Oakville Beaver Bronte Art Academ y students David Venturi (bottom left) Danielle Walsh, (bottom right) Gabriel DiRollo (top) and Jordan W alsh (above) get a close look at som e o f the 60 hand-painted birdhouses up for auction to benefit residents at the Oaklands Regional Centre. SA LE PR IC ES EN D TH U R SD A Y , AUG UST 8,2002 $ 230 off team KENMORE® SUPER CAPACITY WASHER AND DRYER 3.2-cu. ft. washer. 1 1 cycles. Dual-Action® agitator. #23662. Sears reg. 729.99.599.99 7-cu. ft. dryer. 10 drying options. 30-minute Wrinkle Guard® feature. #62662 . Sears reg. 579.99.479.99 now 899" KENMORE 18.8-CU. FT. FRIDGE WITH TOP FREEZER 1 full and 4 half-width 'spillproof glass shelves. 2 humidity-controlled crispers. #61962. Sears reg. 1149.99. 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East &0EW (905) 631-9655 Erin Mills Town Centre (905) 607-2300 Georgetown Dealer Store (905) 877-5172 Hamilton Centre Mall (905) 545-4741 Limeridge Mall Hamilton (905) 389-4441 Mapleview Centre Burlington (905) 632-4111 Milton Dealer Store (905) 878-4104 "A guy from Kenya asked the Holy Father to pray because a lot of young peo ple are dying because of AIDS in Kenya. A girl from Hong Kong, China told the Holy Father that all the youth there love him. The Pope said, `They love me? Incredible!'" said Chagalj. After lunch, the boy from Kenya danced for the Pope. Chagalj herself invited the Pope to join her in the song, Zdravo Djevo, but said he more recited than sang it. "After my song, a girl from Tahiti did a dance and sang a song," said Chagalj, who noted the Pontiff also gave his lunch eon mates gifts -- a medal picturing him self and World Youth Day and a rosary. That gift is, in fact. Chagalj's second rosary from the Pope, since she met him briefly in Paris at a World Youth Day cel ebration in 1997. "I was especially lucky," she said. Since the Pope and a luncheon-goer from New York also shared the same birth date, May 19, the group delivered a rendition of Happy Birthday, too. Then, the youths gave the Pope gifts. Chagalj gave him a tape of music from her music group back home, Speranza, as well as a replica stone tablet depicting words in the Glagoljica alphabet -- the oldest document written in the Croatian language (circa the beginning of the 12th Century). After dessert and a prayer, the lunch eon was over, but Chagalj will carry the memory of it forever. She didn't know she would be attend ing the lunch. She was just chosen when World Youth Day organizers called Croatia looking for a volunteer. It was Father Ivan Stironja who sug gested her. He and Father Zeljko Majic are here travelling with Chagalj, and 14 other Croatian pilgrims, including Sanja Horvat, 27, of Sarajevo, who was chosen to carry the large wooden cross from the first to the second stations of the cross in a procession along University Avenue last week. The 15 pilgrims were hooked up with host families in Oakville including the Spehars, Kellners and Zekics. "We've got the best host families," enthused Chagalj. Both Chagalj and Horvat attended World Youth Day in Rome in 2000 and in Paris in 1997. "We're so far from home," said Chagalj of her first trip to Canada. The pilgrims arrived July 20 and will return home -- a 17-hour trip by plane and car -- tomorrow (Aug. 1). While this was Chagalj's first time in Canada, Stironja is no stranger to Canada or Oakville. He was parish priest at Holy Trinity from 1993 to 1996. He arrived here after working as a missionary in Africa. He then studied in Italy and is now priest at a cathedral in Mostar. Stironja said he chose Chagalj to dine with the Pope since she speaks English and she has been very involved musically at her church. It cost her $600 (US) to come, but sponsorship from the Holy Trinity youth group also helped out. Under the tutelage of Holy Trinity's Father Ilija Petkovic and Sister Smiliana Delonga, some 15-20 local youths are not only participating in World Youth Day celebrations, but raised $6,000 to help sponsor youths like Chagalj. Other pilgrims hailing from Poland, England and even Texas, have been lodg ing at other Oakville sites including St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Ignatius of Loyola, Sheridan College and Bronte Creek Provincial Park. I I esf \ \ G ? I-- ·W ii A. j? «** | AN N O U N C EM EN T Mississauga Dealer Store (905) 848-8882 Mississauga Furniture & Appliances Store Hwy. 5 & 403 (905) 820-6801 Oakville Place (905) 842-9410 Square One Shopping Centre (905) 270-8111 Jk now 699" KENMORE SELF-CLEAN COIL RANGE Includes searing grill. 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S e a r s F u r n i t u r e & A p p l i a n c e S t o r e M i s s i s s a u g a Mon.-Fri. 10 am-9 pm sat. 10 am-6 pm Sun .11 am-5 pm . N E 08IM 10 2 Copyright 2002. Sears Canada Inc. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER