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The day began bright and early for all our volunteers who started at 6am, marking out measurements, setting up the stalls, putting road closure signs and praying that the overcast didn’t turn into a downpour of deterrent for people. Thankfully the rain held off and the stalls were all set up, ready to serve and chat to the community.
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We would like to thank all of the small businesses who came on board to make this a great day. Without knowing it, these businesses will forever be etched into the history of EYW as we mark the Street Festival 2015 not only as an inaugural event, but as one of our biggest fundraising efforts to date. Our gratitude goes to the following businesses and organisations:
- Dog Crew
- Jamberry Nails
- Sharons Cakes
- Jet Flight Simulator Sydney
- Coptic Orphans
- Arch Angel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church
- Sharon and Lilly’s handmade jewellery
- Little Kickers Rockdale
- Pharaoh’s Beauty and Accessories
- Classic Treats Ice Cream
- Coconut Coffee
- World Aids Day
- Plus Fitness
- State Police and Fire Departments
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Another big thank you goes out to the AMAZING volunteers who came to help set up in the early hours of the morning, those who manned stalls, face painted, took photographs and those who helped with the gruelling clean up process. It was so great to see some fresh faces and the regular volunteers who came on board to make this day run as smoothly as it did. Without the time and effort of volunteers, we simply would not have been able to hold this event. We cannot express our appreciation enough to the heroes of the day who worked so tirelessly —THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!!!! If you would like more information about volunteer opportunities, please email Christina.
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No one can resist the smell of fresh meat on a BBQ and you could not miss that smell coming from Bermill Street. EYW volunteers served up delicious falafel, chicken and kofta wraps for lunch. We also served scrumptious zataar and spinach triangles, which were freshly baked in the morning.
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One of our clients, who is the resident chef for the iWorx program, spent 3 days perfecting the art of making Zalabya (Egyptian Donuts). His hard work definitely paid off, with people lining up to get a taste of the Egyptian sweet.
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Of course, no one could miss the huge shipping container on the premises! Knafeh opened up special times just for our Street Festival and were serving their delicious baked sweet from Midday to 4pm. Every time we hold a big event like this, we have an incredible cake baker who never ceases to amaze us with her sweets! She has always supported our cause and has become a legend among the EYW community for her homemade baked treats that absolutely fly off the table. There is never anything left at the end of the day!
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EYW is lucky enough to have access to the hottest names in music, dance and poetry. The Pirates, who are EYW’s resident KRUMP dancing crew, exploded onto the street stage and had a huge crowd going absolutely wild for them and cheering on the tribal dance.
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Monica Gahli, Tamar Sidrak, Mirette Sameh, Alice Tame and Mark Botros where some of the other musicians who ensured that the whole street had something nice in the air, other than the smell of all our food stalls! Other performances included the Traditional Chinese Dancers, who captivated the crowd with their synchronised movements and grace.
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Exodus Youth Worx knows the importance of keeping children of all ages busy and occupied so we provided fun-filled activities that made a lot of parents as happy as their children! Activities included face and body painting, arts and craft, plaster mould painting and a blow up slide. All of these Exodus stalls were supervised by our wonderful volunteers who gave their efforts and talents to making the young ones feel as comfortable and safe as possible while they enjoyed their activities. A huge thank you again to those incredible volunteers.
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The Street Festival allowed the people of the community to have a look inside our centre where a lot of our programs take place. Our visitors were guided around by resident support worker, Abanoub Salama who described the ways that EYW support young people. Guests were very impressed by his knowledge, charisma and love for Exodus, which was evident in the way he spoke of his personal journey and the role that Exodus has played in his life. If you would like a group tour booking, please contact us on info@exodusyouthworx.org.au
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As mentioned above, we were lucky enough to have Knafeh present during our Street Festival, but we got even luckier when they wanted to stay with us for two consecutive weekends! From 26th—29th of November and the 3rd—6th December, Exodus Rockdale was filled with crowds who lined up along West Botany Street to get the coveted dessert. We were able cook up BBQ dinners on the nights that Knafeh was present, which was a great fundraising opportunity. On the night of the 29th of November, we became so busy making sandwiches that the amazing guys from Happy As Larry, who sold out of their incredible tasty pizzas, hopped onto the BBQ to lend us a hand! Thanks guys!
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As we served up dinner, so many people asked who we are and what we do. The chance to be able to answer these questions to so many new people is almost more valuable than the fundraising. Exposure and awareness allows us to spread the word about the work we do with young people and receive the support we need to be able to continue our service. Thank you to the Knafeh team and all who came along to help during the fundraising BBQs. It was a lot of hard work but definitely a lot of fun.
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Thank you to everyone who was apart of our journey through 2015. We hope you enjoy the holiday season with family and friends, without forgetting about those who are not so fortunate in all corners of the world. We cannot wait for the surprises that await us in the future and we look forward to seeing you next year.
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