The annual jUNe Day event will take place on Saturday, June 23rd, in Westport. The United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut (UNASWCT) and the Town of Westport will host over 300 guests from the United Nations community in New York.
The public is invited to attend the opening ceremonies and welcome our international guests at Saugatuck Elementary School on Riverside Avenue at 10:30 a.m. Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe and UNA President Bill Hass will welcome the guests, and jUNe Day Chairperson Michaela Maccoll will outline the Day’s activities.
The annual jUNe Day celebration was established in 1965 by the late Ruth Steinkraus Cohen, the founder of the UN Association of Southwestern Connecticut and International Visitors Committee of Connecticut, in observance of the signing of the UN charter on June 26, 1945.
The day’s main purpose is to promote world peace and international understanding through friendly interaction between UN visitors and their hosts. On Saturday, the flags of many of the 193 members of the United Nations will fly on the Post Road bridge named in Ruth’s honor.
On jUNe Day, United Nations staff and representatives from governments around the world and their families will participate in a variety of sporting and recreational activities. There will be a soccer match between the UN team and the Westport Knights, a tennis tournament and a day of golf at the Longshore Golf Course. Special tours of Earthplace, a nature center, and the historic town of Westport will be offered free of charge and, for the first time, a visit has been arranged to the Sherwood Island Beach Nature Center.
In addition, guests will have access to Compo Beach and the town pools on the seaside at Longshore Park, and breakfast and lunch will be served to them at the Saugatuck School.
Area residents are welcome to volunteer in set-up, food-preparation and decorations, and photographers are needed at all venues. Servers are needed for both breakfast and lunch, “tour guides” will ride along in busses to point out interesting sites, and hospitality volunteers mingle with the guests during meals. For those who like to pitch in behind the scenes, a clean-up crew is always appreciated. All food and refreshments for the day have been provided by local businesses and the UN Association of Southwestern Connecticut.
To volunteer, please contact Ms. Andrea Dostal at 203-526-3275 or Andreasusa@yahoo.com. For more information, please contact Bill Hass at (203) 454-7685.
This press release is made possible by:
