Westport, CT – The Town of Westport, the UN Hospitality Committee and the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut will host over 300 guests from the United Nations community in New York for the annual jUNe Day celebration on Saturday, June 29 in Westport.
The public is invited to attend the opening ceremonies and welcome our international guests at Saugatuck Elementary School on Riverside Avenue at 10:30 a.m. Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe and The United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut (UNASWCT) President Alex Anvari will welcome the guests, and jUNe Day Chairperson Michaela Maccoll will outline the Day’s activities.
This year’s United Nations guest of honor is Ms. Catherine Pollard, UN Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, who will read out a special message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Also participating will be Mr. Christian Saunders, UN Assistant Secretary-General, Department of Operational “Support, and Mr. Johnston Barkat, Mediator, International Monetary Fund.
The Day’s main purpose is to promote world peace and international understanding through friendly interaction between UN visitors and their hosts. On Saturday, the flags of many of the 193 members of the United Nations will fly on the Westport Post Road bridge named for the founder of jUNe Day, Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen.
On jUNe Day, United Nations staff and representatives from Governments around the world and their families will participate in a variety of sporting and recreational activities. There will be a soccer match between the UN team and the Westport Knights, a tennis tournament and a day of golf at the Longshore Golf Course. Special tours of Earthplace, a nature center, and the historic town of Westport will be offered free of charge, and guests will be able to visit the Wakeman Town Farm.
In addition, guests will have free access to Compo Beach and the town pools on the seaside at Longshore Park. A new activity available this year is access to paddleboards and kayaks at the Longshore Sailing School.
Breakfast and lunch will be served to UN guests at the Saugatuck School.
Area residents are welcome to volunteer in set-up, food-preparation and decorations, and photographers are needed at all venues. Volunteers can assist in serving both breakfast and lunch; “tour guides” will ride along in buses to point out interesting sites; and hospitality volunteers will mingle with the guests during meals. For those who like to pitch in behind the scenes, a clean-up crew is always appreciated.
All food and refreshments for the day have been provided by local businesses and the UN Association of Southwestern Connecticut.
The annual jUNe Day celebration was established in 1965 by the late Ruth Steinkraus Cohen, the founder of the UN Association of Southwestern Connecticut and International Visitors Committee of Connecticut, in observance of the signing of the UN Charter on June 26th, 1945.
To volunteer, please contact Ms. Andrea Dostal at 203-526-3275 or Andreasusa@yahoo.com. For more information on jUNe Day, please contact Bill Hass, Vice-President, UNASWCT, at (203) 454-7685.
This press release is made possible by:
