Karen Berner, Trudy Chambers, and Donna Strand
Amy Volstromer
Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise, Happy New Year from the Irish American Club!
The last quarter of 2024 brought club members several opportunities for fun, friendship, and charitable giving. It began with their annual Welcome Back Party in November, where club members mingled and got caught up on their summer travels and adventures. After a delicious, corned beef and cabbage dinner, our members were entertained by the popular local group “Happy Hour,” with a few Irish songs mixed in. They kept the dance floor hopping! It was a fun evening of food, friends, and music, the perfect makings of an Irish party. It left our members with “Irish eyes a smilin.’”
In December, the annual festive Holly Ball was held. The Holly Ball allows our members to don their finest apparel and celebrate the holiday season. The club holds a “Holly” Ball because of its significance in Irish history. In fact, according to Irish tradition, the more berries there were on the holly, the more generous and prosperous the New Year would be. It was a sign of happiness, joy, and celebration.
Also at the club’s December meeting, in the spirit of the season, the club was honored to present awards to two local nonprofits totaling $16,000. These funds were in addition to the $16,000 in scholarships presented to eight Millennium High School students in May and $2,000 to the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix. Next month, we will share more information about the nonprofits and how our club has a commitment to help our community continue to thrive. These funds were because of our very successful annual 2024 Charity Golf Tournament. Please see the article in this issue that focuses on the upcoming March 2025 Charity Golf Tournament. It’s a lot of fun and an opportunity to help support our community.
The Irish American Club prides itself on its three pillars: Social, Charity, and Educational/Culture. If you are interested in finding out more about the Irish American Club, please see our website: pcirishaz.org.