FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Kitchen Elves hard at work.

Kitchen Elves running in all directions. Maria (in background)

wonders what the next surprise will be!

Hein, Karen and Lloyd study the meat slicer

with some bewilderment.

Teamwork gets the job done!

Lining up for some great grub.

The Politicos dish it out.

A full house enjoys a wonderful community meal on the eve of Canada's 140th birthday.

Many thanks to Maria Kirley for coordinating the event, and to the Youth Employment kids and the many Rotarians who lent a hand to make this community event such a success. Thanks as well to the many local businesses who contributed food and other supplies.

SUNNY GETS LAUNCHED!

Mark your calendar now for the evenings of July 26 and 27 at the Charlie White Theatre where you will be enjoying for the first time in Sidney’s history, a dual-genre musical evening of classical opera and contemporary jazz. The program is unique because the operatic tenor who will sing for you and titillate your soul, is also the leader of the jazz trio that will charm your sensibilities.

It is unique yet again because the musician is staging the event as a fund raiser for the Sidney by the Sea Rotary Club’s new community project, a water park for the kids on the Peninsula. Perhaps most unique of all, the tenor and jazz pianist doing the fund raiser for the kids was, until this month, a Sidney teenager. He turned 20 on the 4th of June. You know him as Sunny, one of the baristas at Alexander’s Coffee in Sidney.

Sunny is a very quiet fellow with presence beyond his years. He is soft spoken, somewhat shy, very polite and just a real nice guy. The talent is deep. His jazz training has come at the hands of Victoria’s Gord Clements and Joey Smith at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. That Sunny has been their very good student is reflected in the fact that he is taking part in the Victoria Jazz Festival this month for the second year in a row. That he is a good student in Voice is evident from the fact that Sunny just received a mark of 94% for his public graduation concert at Camosun College where he earned his Diploma in Music. The concert program was in Italian, German and French. To top it off, he earned a 90% average this past year across all courses.
Just days later, Sunny auditioned for and was accepted into the UBC music program in Opera.
Sunny is a graduate of Parkland Secondary School where he was under the guidance of music director Hilary Coupland. Ms. Coupland was instrumental in pushing Sunny towards the entertainment spotlight. Parkland Secondary has also produced another musical sensation, also participating this year in the Victoria Jazz Festival, jazz piano prodigy Michael Kaeshammer.

"I have admired the community work being performed by the service clubs in our communities, and it will be a pleasure to be able to provide some support to the efforts of the Sidney by the Sea Rotary Club as it works to bring a children’s water park into being for the benefit of all Peninsula families," said Sunny. "I am hoping that I can count on Peninsula residents and businesses to get behind the work of Rotary in aid of the children in the community. At the same time I hope all of you will come out and enjoy the music."

To volunteer, to donate or to get more information, contact info@sunnyshams.com.

A blog has also been started for Sunny: www.sunnyandthekids.blogspot.com

SUNNY SHINES!

At our June 7th meeting, our newest fund-raising project was launched: SUNNY AND THE KIDS. This musical evening will feature talented young Sidney musician Sunny Shams, a delightful combination of operatic tenor and jazz singer. Sunny is a graduate of Parkland Secondary School, and has gone on to complete a music program at Camosun College. Just a few weeks ago, Sunny auditioned for and was accepted into UBC's opera program.

To get SBS Rotarians 'in tune' with the fund raiser (set for July 26 and 27), Fraser Smith (organizer extraordinaire), brought Sunny in to sing for us -- a short operatic piece and a soft jazz tune. Sunny easily demonstrated his facility in both styles of music. At just 20 years of age, Sunny has a bright future ahead of him.

SUNNY AND THE KIDS is a unique way for Sunny to share his love of music with his community, while also putting his support behind SBS Rotary's community project, a water park for the kids of the Peninsula, to be located atTulista Park. The fund-raising objective for the event is $30,000. In the process, 300 local students will be sponsored to attend the dress rehearsal of Sunny's concert on July 26, which will also include performances by other young musicians. Two of that evening's performers will be selected to join Sunny the next evening, to be showcased as part of the musical program.

Stay tuned for more developments as this project moves into high gear!