Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Benefit serves up self-esteem

Council Circle celebrates New Year and new programs


Cami Norbom, a Bellevue second-grader, carries a bowl of Ric Lum?s ?real? Chinese chicken salad back to her table at the Council Circle?s Chinese New Year Feast. Photo by Dana DuGan

By SABINA DANA PLASSE

and DANA DUGAN

Express Staff Writers

It was a feast for emperors at the Elkhorn Golf Club Saturday, March 3, when the Council Circle Foundation celebrated The Year of the Pig during its annual Chinese New Year Feast.

Guests dressed to the task in elegant silk Chinese dresses, wraps, shirts and jackets, attuned to the festive Chinese lanterns, balloons and tall floral centerpieces in custom-made glass vases. Second- and third-grade children passed fortune cookies and joined in a Chinese dragon parade complete with drums, which snaked its way around the venue.

Introduced in the valley in 1995, Council Circle is offered to both youths and adults. It provides a safe venue to receive healthy support, where one can be unconditionally listened to and learn healthy tools for communication.

Recently, new groups have been created, including an Elder Circle and a Family Circle. Sixty Wood River Valley kids from six schools became involved in the program this past year.

Council Circle board President Priscilla Pittiglio began the evening with an introduction of her fellow board members. She also announced the launching of the Council Circles' Web site, at www.councilcircle.org.

"We are committed to Blaine County," she said to much applause.

The Year of the Pig means abundance, and the dinner was nothing short of its theme. The nonstop outpouring of food catered by chef Ric Lum included a lobster bisque with fish roe, steamed tangerine bison flank steak and steamed lamb Shui Mai, to mention just a few of the courses elegantly presented on a traditional Chinese Lazy Susan, chopsticks included.

Many volunteers served the dinner to the patrons, and Wood River Strings entertained with lovely chamber-type music. Each guest radiated a personal reason and purpose.

"I love it because I got involved when my kids where in third and fourth grades," said emcee and Circle patron Larry Flynn.

Among the live-auction items Flynn helped sell were tropical vacations to Hawaii and Mexico, artwork, a skate-ski package, and the most popular, a cooking demo and meal with four valley-based chefs. After the thrill of bidding on live items, scholarships were funded by the guests en masse.




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