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 The Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation is appealing for your support in the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook. The Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation (MLMEF), is an Oregon non-profit corporation, recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. MLMEF was organized to raise public awareness of Welsh heritage in North America, to celebrate Welsh-American culture and preserve its works and to foster and encourage art and creativity in the Welsh tradition. An Eisteddfod [eye-STETH-vod] is a Welsh performing arts festival, held in Wales since at least the 12th Century when bards competed for the favor of the Lord Rhys at his court in Cardigan. Today, the National Eisteddfod of Wales celebrates dance, poetry, music, theater, prose and visual arts. Eisteddfoddau are held all over the world, wherever Welsh people settled. The Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation organizes the Left Coast Eisteddfod, a modern eisteddfod for the west coast of North America. The Left Coast Eisteddfod includes live events and on line events and competitions on AmeriCymru , a Welsh social network. Why Meriwether Lewis? Many people don't know that Meriwether Lewis' ancestors came to the western hemisphere from Wales, that Lewis spoke Welsh and was chosen by Jefferson to lead the expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase in part because Jefferson and Lewis could write to each other in Welsh and trust that their letters would remain secure from non-Welsh speakers. Today there are Lewises, Davises, Griffithses, Jenkinses, Williamses and more who have no idea that their own ancestors came from Wales and are in danger of losing or have lost their families' cultural heritage. Canada, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay and many other places in the west are home to treasures of Welsh heritage and the rich traditions of imagination, creativity, song and story Welsh emigrants brought with them around the world. The Chase Community Giving initiative gives us the opportunity to win a $20,000 grant which will be used to increase the range of activities and events at this years Eisteddfod. We hope you will support us in our effort to secure this grant. HERES WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP 1. If you are not on Facebook.join and vote here:- http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/263243673-meriwether-lewis-memorial-eisteddfod-foundation 2. If you are on Facebook VOTE NOW! Voting directions can be found in 'Comments' at he bottom of the page. 3. Persuade a friend to vote. 4. Post on group walls and ask group admins of Welsh/Celtic groups to message their members to ask for their support. 5. Put our voting link banner on your website or blogpost. You can cut and paste it from the voting page:- http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/263243673-meriwether-lewis-memorial-eisteddfod-foundation 6. Consider getting together with a friend ( if both of you have already voted ) and exchanging Gift Votes. This will enable both of you to vote for us twice. Diolch yn fawr for your kind consideration and support  Portland with Mt Hood in the background. |
Many thanks for the votes you put our way today ( Friday ). We were able to get back from position 191 to 174 over two increments. Unfortunately Friday night is the worst night of the week for us ( I guess all our people are down the pub ) The crucial times for us are the few hours before 11 am ( UK time ) and 11 pm ( UK time ) with the morning being the most critical. Any help anyone can give us on Saturday and Sunday before the morning voting results would be hugely appreciated. WE ARE SO CLOSE....JUST TEN DAYS TO GO...PLEASE HELP US OUT WITH THE FINAL PUSH!!
Hangovers are 10% dehydration and 90% guilt. So drink a cup of water and vote for us in the Chase Community Giveaway and you'll be fine
HERES WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
1. If you are not on Facebook.join and vote here:-
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/263243673-meriwether-lewis-memorial-eisteddfod-foundation
2. If you are on Facebook VOTE NOW!
3. Persuade a friend to vote.
4. Post on group walls and ask group admins of Welsh/Celtic groups to message their members to ask for their support.
5. Put our voting link banner on your website or blogpost. You can cut and paste it from the voting page:-
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/263243673-meriwether-lewis-memorial-eisteddfod-foundation
6. Consider getting together with a friend ( if both of you have already voted ) and exchanging Gift Votes. This will enable both of you to vote for us twice.
Special Welsh Folk Dance Workshop*
Saturday, September 4
3-5 p.m. - $5 per person.
North American Festival of Wales
Featuring the 79th Annual Welsh National
Gymanfa Ganu
2 September - 5 September, 2010
Portland, Oregon
All events are at Doubletree Lloyd Center Hotel.
See http://www.Wngga.org for details
. *This will be one of a number of workshops, and other Welsh-related events.
The Welsh are Coming to Portland
By Chris Jones (slightly edited)
The caller will be Sian Frick. Sian attended Cymdeithas
Ddawns Werin Cymru (Welsh Folk Dance Society)
workshops in Wales to learn the spirited, but light-footed,
Welsh dances, and earned a Cymdeithas Instructors Certificate.
Sian was the leader of Dawnswyr y Tract Cymreig
(Welsh Tract Dancers) , based in Newark, Delaware.
She has also been a member of the Dawnswyr Man
Dance Team in Anglesey, Wa l es . Sian is frequently invited
to teach Welsh folk dance wo r kshops and give clogging
demonstrations at many of the Celtic festivals in the U.S.
In the workshop , she will teach a number of the Welsh
dances, and all attending will have a chance to try out
their footwork. Please wear your dance shoes! All ages
welcome .
The dance workshop will be held in the Broadway/Weidler Room at the Doubletree Lloyd Center Hotel, which will host the Festival. The band will be Portland ' s own Beltaine.
There will be a special price of $5 for the workshop.
A $15 day ticket is also available for the afternoon events.
Tickets will also be available for the evening concert by
Gar Godre'r Aran, an accomplished Welsh male voice
choir , based in Llanuwchllyn in Penllyn, near Bala in North
Wales.
All these will be part of the North American Festival
of Wales held this year over Labor Day weekend in Portland
More information on all the Welsh Festival events can
be found at http://www.wngga.org . The Festival is held
yearly in the U.S . and Canada. This is Portland ' s year,
I and we are expecting a wonderful event. Please come for
I the dancing and other even ts .
Croeso cynnes Cymreig iawn i chi gyd - there will be a very warm, Welsh welcome for all.
The Left Coast Eisteddfod is raising money to fly Welsh artists, musicians and authors to Portland for this years event in October. To this end we have entered the Chase Community Giving competition on Facebook. If we come in the top 200 when the final vote is tallied we will win $20,000. This will enable us to significantly expand our program of events. We pledge that every cent will be used for the above mentioned purpose and will contribute to gaining extra exposure for Welsh artists in the US.
Left Coast Eisteddfod Organising Committee
Optimum Records are delighted to have the support of the International recording artist from Wales IRIS WILLIAMS . She has especially recorded a track for the album "THE BRAVE BAR NONE" . The album also includes a track from the TREORCHY MALE CHOIR and includes VERNON HOPKINS (Ex Tom Jones band) The profits of the album are going to support the Charity for WELSH SOLDIERS
It is to be a tribute to their bravery and courage and to those who were killed. from their fellow Welsh men and Women.
The ALBUM of ten songs especially recorded for this album is out in SEPTEMBER this year and will sold on AMAZON and most download sites including itunes. The album has collection of new songs of a Welsh genre and will appeal to fellow Welsh men and Women around the World. Please fly the flag for Wales and order a copy or download a track or two . It will on download from September 12th. IRIS is currently in the States
Kevin King
Tongue Tied was published by Y Lolfa just over a year ago and is already closing in on its fourth printing.
To get your copy, please send $19.00USD (shipping is already included) to MLMEF P.O. Box 80293, Multnomah Village, 97280 * or use the PayPal 'Donate' button in the right hand column on this page. If you use the PayPal option please email us at americymru@gmail.com with your postal address. Please make checks payable to the 'Meriwether Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation'. Diolch!
| I am sadly stuck home today with two sick small children so it's only the life online for me!
Ceri and I and three kids have gone to Bryn Seion the last three years and I've loved it, it's a lovely day in the beautiful woods with a bunch of people enjoying singing together. If you have a chance to go and experience it, please do, it's a lot of fun, a beautiful site of Welsh-American history and good fellowship.
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http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/263243673-meriwether-lewis-memorial-eisteddfod-foundation
You have ten votes a day to bestow. We're trying our rear ends off to make it into third place, where 200 charities will each receive a $20,000 grant from Chase Manhattan bank. There are also many very worthy charities - like the Arms Wide Open children's cancer foundation that deserve first or second place - we're just asking for help to make one of those third place spots! This costs you nothing, it's just a vote!
If you have voted, for some other charities too, and after a few votes, you earn a gift vote - you send this to someone else who's voted for MLMEF and they can cast a SECOND vote for MLMEF - please ask them to do so! If you need any help figuring this out, Ceri and I will be on Facebook flat out for the day and can help you.
