Photos by Denise Cooperwhite

As a proud part of the vibrant growing community of Milton, we take pride in making our community feel welcomed at our school by inviting them to participate in community events, says Lily Gall, the Chair for Parent Engagement at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School.

Over 225 people attended the Multicultural Dinner on May 4th, 2017 which was held at the school itself from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“Since we are a growing community in Milton, we have new families to our school and parish community,” says Lily. “The goal of this event was an evening organized to bring our community together and celebrate global friendship, learn about different cultures, enjoy the various talents and food from around the continent.”

The program started with Steelpan music to welcome everyone followed by the National Anthem which was also played on Steelpan giving way to the guest speakers, including Milton’s Mayor Gordon Krantz, the Halton Catholic District School Board’s Trustee, Diane Rabenda, along with many other performances which were performed by the student’s themselves, such as the Chinese Association Choir and the Brazilian Dance, to name a few.

The dinner included five food stations – Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Central, South America, Mexico, and Caribbean were amongst the five stations. There we four to five dishes from four to five different countries to represent each continent.

“The event was a great success,” says Lily. “People enjoyed the food, cultures, entertainment, and friendship.”

This multicultural dinner allowed us to celebrate many cultures in a place, show appreciation for individuals and it also allowed others to express and share their cultures while allowing us to learn about their heritage and educate and widen the perspective and empower human dignity. It allowed everyone to strengthen community relationships, expressed Lily.

The school described this event to be an important part of celebrating diversity and difference while expressing the importance to create a welcoming and belonging place for the community not matter of race, religion, or views.

“We live in such a great community with so many different cultures, races, religions and ethnic background living together in peace and harmony,” says Lily. “We don’t have to travel to other countries to enjoy and learn about the many different cultures, food, traditions, races, religion, and so much more.”

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