UNews - Tony Rose

Looking backwards, and forwards, at 20 years of supporting the fine arts

trevor.kenney — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 21:50:43 +0000

Conga lines and sing-alongs, chefs and serenades, performances, pottery, prints and more. Join the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as it dances down memory lane, celebrating 20 years of Abbondànza!

More than a fundraiser, Abbondanza was always an event not to be missed. PHOTO BY Jaime Vedres Photography

Over the course of 20 years there have been: 19 memorable parties, supported by 87 sponsors; 463 unique artworks auctioned; over 400 student, alumni and faculty performers; and most proudly, $1,754,753 in Endowment funds creating 155 scholarships to date.

“Impact begins with an idea,” says Dr. Mary Ingraham, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. “Two local restauranteurs, Tony Rose and Rocco Suriano of Coco Pazzo Italian Café, saw how they could support fine arts students pursuing their education, bringing the idea of a fundraising dinner to then associate dean, Carl Granzow. Thanks to their passion and drive, the Abbondànza Endowment will continue to provide over 30 scholarships annually to students studying art, drama, music and new media.”

The Faculty of Fine Arts’ annual student scholarship fundraiser would have hosted the 20th event in 2021, a momentous milestone befitting a grand celebration. While pandemic regulations prevent the in-person celebration of this 20-year anniversary, the Faculty doesn’t want to miss the chance to highlight this momentous milestone. On Thursday, April 22, patrons are invited to participate online throughout the day as the U of L looks back at 20 phenomenal years of community support.

Chef's Trio was always one of the most popular Abbondanza performances. PHOTO BY Jaime Vedres Photography

“There are so many good memories – there were conga lines! And the cone-fetti that we scattered across the restaurant. I think they were still finding it years later,” laughs Douglas MacArthur, associate dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, and a 20-year committee member who has helped plan and host the event. “But most memorably, it’s the people. The students who are so excited to perform for these important community supporters, and the sponsors, many who join us year after year. It built this community of people who support the arts.”

So many memories also means so many people to thank.

“First of all, I’d like to thank Rocco, Tony and Carl for working together to create this event. I want to thank 87 sponsors and hundreds of attendees who are touching the lives of our students in a wonderful and profound way. And thank you to the more than 500 students, alumni and faculty who have supported the event by sharing their talents.”

Watch online and on social media for videos, memorable photos throughout the years, thank you messages from students impacted by the awards, and information about what comes next.

“We definitely miss hosting an event and seeing our friends and supporters in person, but the change to our routine has allowed us to look backwards as well as ahead to the future,” says Ingraham. “Over the past 20 years our community has helped create a self-sustaining, multi-million-dollar endowment to support student scholarships. Imagine what we can do next.”

Scholarships support students in accessing affordable education. The next step is helping them find their path to career success by supporting opportunities that help students apply and expand their skills, network with potential employers, and explore career options. To this end, the Faculty is launching the Fine Arts Experience Enrichment Fund to support student career advancement.

“We invite our supporters and the arts community to learn more about the Fine Arts Experience Enrichment Fund, a new fund created to support experiential learning; learning that will help our students enhance the professional skills they're already receiving in their programs and bring them out into the community to build new networks, try out career options and serve their community by adding their expertise to local and regional organizations,” says Ingraham.

“There are many ways our supporters can help us. One, of course, is through donations, to help us build this fund from the ground up. They can also share their passion for fine arts with their friends, encourage them to support the arts in their community, perhaps by creating opportunities for experiential learning. And we invite them to come, to show up and share in the joy and passion of making art in the fine arts.”

To join the anniversary celebration, and learn more about the Experience Enrichment Fund, visit go.uleth.ca/support-fine-arts or find the Faculty of Fine Arts on Facebook.

Abbondànza, a night like no other

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:46:02 +0000

Fine arts professors, students and a local restaurant have once again joined forces for a good cause – fine arts student scholarships.

The 12th annual Abbondànza, an evening of gourmet food, fine arts and fun fills CoCo Pazzo Italian Café on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m.

"We are pleased to participate in this exciting event," says Tony Rose, CoCo Pazzo co-owner. "It is unlike anything else that goes on in this city!"

The annual Abbondànza evening is one of the most anticipated events of the year.

The festivities include a unique menu highlighting the cuisine of Italy prepared by CoCo's expert chefs, accompanied by tasty music, works of art, drama and humour provided by the Faculty of Fine Arts. Guests vote in a most unusual way for their favourite course and the evening ends with the presentation of the Abbondànza Culinary Trophy, which hangs prominently in the restaurant for the rest of the year.

"We have some good news we want to share with everyone," says Doug MacArthur, Abbondànza Organizing Committee Chair. "Abbondànza is Italian for abundance and thanks to the abundant support from the community, we are approaching our $1-million goal for the Abbondànza Endowment Fund."

Creating an endowment fund ensures that donations in support of student scholarship continue to work far into the future.

"If anyone in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community wants to support our students and help us reach our goal a little faster, they are welcome to make a donation to the Abbondànza Endowment Fund," says MacArthur. "No gift is too small or too large."

Cash and cheque donations can be dropped off in W627 or faculty and staff can use the handy payroll deduction option available through the Bridge (www.uleth.ca/bridge/sos) by clicking Abbondànza Endowment Fund in the gift designation section.

Tickets for Abbondànza 2013 are $150 (include $75 income tax receipt). Call Katherine Wasiak at 403-329-2227 as soon as possible for tickets, as very few remain.

This story first appeared in the January 2013 edition of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Abbondànza is all about abundance

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:24:08 +0000

For the past 11 years, Faculty of Fine Arts professors, staff, students and a local restaurant have joined forces for a good cause – fine arts student scholarships.

The 11th annual Abbondànza, an evening of gourmet food, fine arts and fun fills CoCo Pazzo Italian Café on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.

"We are pleased to participate in this exciting event," says Tony Rose, CoCo Pazzo co-owner. "It is unlike anything else that goes on in this city!"

Chef Ken Kain, left, and CoCo Pazzo co-owners Tony Rose and Rocco Suriano with the Abbondànza Culinary Trophy.

The festivities include a unique menu highlighting the cuisine of various regions of Italy prepared by CoCo's expert chefs coupled with tasty music, works of art and humour provided by the Faculty of Fine Arts. Guests get to vote in a most unusual way for their favorite course and the evening ends with the presentation of the Abbondànza Culinary Trophy, which hangs prominently in the restaurant for the rest of the year.

"Abbondànza is Italian for abundance and we have received an abundance of support from the community, for which we are grateful," says Doug MacArthur, Abbondànza committee chairperson. "To date, 34 students have received scholarships totaling $26,000. All the donations go directly to the Abbondànza Endowment fund that will continue to support students far into the future."

Tickets for the event are priced at $125 each and include a $60 income tax receipt.

There are very few tickets left for the event. To book yours, call Katherine Wasiak at 403-329-2227.

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Abbondanza

trevor.kenney — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:22:32 +0000

For the past 10 years, Faculty of Fine Arts professors, staff, students and a local restaurant have joined forces for a good cause – fine arts student scholarships.

The 10th Anniversary of Abbondànza, an evening of gourmet food, fine arts and fun fills CoCo Pazzo Italian Café on Saturday, Jan. 29.

"We are pleased to participate in this exciting event," says Tony Rose, CoCo Pazzo co-owner. "It is unlike anything else that goes on in this city."

The festivities include a unique menu highlighting the cuisine of various regions of Italy prepared by CoCo's expert chefs. Music, works of art and humour are all provided by the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Guests get to vote in a most unusual way for their favourite course and the evening ends with the presentation of the Abbondànza Culinary Trophy, which hangs prominently in the restaurant for the rest of the year.

"Abbondànza is Italian for abundance, and we have received an abundance of support from the community, for which we are grateful," says Doug MacArthur, Abbondànza Committee Chairperson.

To date, 29 students have received scholarship totaling $22,000.

"All the donations go directly to the Abbondànza Endowment fund that will continue to support students far into the future."

Tickets are $125 (include $60 income tax receipt). There are a very few tickets left for the event, and for more information, call Katherine Wasiak at 403-329-2227.

Scholarships get a boost from CoCo Pazzo

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:26:50 +0000

Fine arts professors, students and a local restaurant have once again joined forces for a good cause – fine arts student scholarships.

The 9th annual Abbondànza, an evening of gourmet food, fine arts and fun fills CoCo Pazzo Italian Café on Sunday, Feb. 28, beginning at 6 p.m.

"We are pleased to participate in this exciting event," says Tony Rose, CoCo Pazzo co-owner. "It is unlike anything else that goes on in the city."

The festivities include a unique menu that highlights the cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy's most northeastern region. Prepared by CoCo's expert chef, the food combines with tasty music, works of art, and humour provided by the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Guests vote in a most unusual way for their favorite course and the evening ends with the presentation of the Abbondànza Culinary Trophy, which hangs prominently in the restaurant for the rest of the year.

"All the funds raised go into an endowment for student scholarships in art, music drama and music," says Doug MacArthur, Abbondànza committee chairperson. "Abbondànza is Italian for abundance and we have received an abundance of support from the community, for which we are grateful."

Tickets are priced at $125 (include $60 income tax receipt) apiece with only a very few remaining available. To purchase tickets, contact Katherine at 403-329-2227.

UNews - Tony Rose

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