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Riga City Council to host the International Christmas Bazaar
Riga City Council to host the International Christmas Bazaar
The Board of the International Women’s Club of Riga (IWCR) is proud to announce that on 3 December its’ 2011 International Christmas Bazaar will be held at the Riga City Council for the first time. The Bazaar, which is the IWCR’s major annual fundraising event, will become part of Riga City Council’s official Christmas programme.
The 2010 Christmas Bazaar and Auction – which was held last November at the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija - achieved a profit of 14,000 LVL. This impressive total was one of the highest sums ever raised by the IWCR, thanks to the very generous support of the Latvian and international business community; Embassies, Club Members and private individuals.The event was officially opened by The First Lady, Ms Lilita Zatlere, which was a great honour for the organisation and her presence encouraged many people from Riga and beyond to attend. The IWCR Charity Committee has been using the monies raised to support a variety of Latvian charities. These include: Pro Sanctitate Sisters, Chabad foodkitchen, Martha Center, Mara’s Centrs, Hope for Children, Missionaries of Charity, the Women’s Prison in Riga, Teika Orphanage, the Irlava Orphanage at Tukums and, for the first time, SOS Children’s Villages.
Marina Le Clere, Acting President of the IWCR: “We feel that our Christmas Bazaar really is ‘coming home’ to the Rigas Dome. The Square over which Rigas Dome presides, is the site of the very first Christmas tree and is therefore a really special place throughout the festive season. Our grateful thanks are extended to Riga City Council and to its Chairman Nils Uŝakovs, for their kind hospitality. We hope that this, our 15th annual International Christmas Bazaar, will raise a significant amount of money for Latvia’s most needy,” added Ms Le Clere, “and that the new venue will attract even more visitors, both local and from the international community living in and visiting Riga.”
The International Women’s Club of Riga is a non-governmental organisation now with charitable status, which was founded in 1991. The membership includes around 100 women representing more than 30 countries; they take an active part in exploring the culture of Latvia and support a variety of charity projects.