News and Events


Our yearly Christmas Party was held on December 13th, 2009.

The president of the Metrolina Phoenician Club, Roger Soudir, welcomed everyone and thanked them for their support. This year has been tough on many people, therefore, the Board has decided to move the yearly Hafleh /Dinner & Dance to April 2010, a decision which everyone supported.

Thankfully, this year it was possible for the Club to send $6,000 to the charities, as a result of the savings accumulated throughout the years.

As for the scholarships, two senior students were awarded scholarships from the Southern Federation. In addition, the Metrolina Phoenician Club awarded scholarships to two students, thanks to the Tony and Lakana Bikhazi Scholarship Fund, and the Wasfi and Hana Barakat Scholarship Fund. The details of these awards will be announced soon.

Roger Soudir then thanked the board for their time and effort, and nominated the same board members to run for 2010. The nomination was unanimously supported by the Club members.

Food was plentiful. The main courses were supplied by the Metrolina Phoenician Club, and the members contributed with a variety of covered dishes and desserts. Everyone enjoyed a good dinner and great desserts.

After dinner, all the children gathered together in a circle and sang Christmas carols while eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa. Cries of joy heralded Santa’s arrival, and continued as he distributed gifts to all the children. The parents shared in the joy as the children tore their gifts open with anticipation.

A new and exciting event was added this year when Lakana Bikhazi took over the microphone, calling upon the ladies to gather into a large circle and participate in a game. Lakana read a poem which, line by line, instructed the women to pass around a gift bag to a woman in the circle with certain characteristics. The woman who held the bag for the final line of the poem, Madeleine Solomon, was the lucky winner of the gift!

Thanks to all for attending the Christmas Party, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!

See the Christmas Party pictures on our Photos page.

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On Saturday, October 10th the Phoenician club had its annual picnic at Freedom Park. The spot reserved at the park was a good sized shelter on top of a hill with many picnic tables. The turn out was great, and so was the weather! The shelter was a great escape from the sun for some, while others strolled around the park. The children played games including tug-of-war and duck duck goose, and the playground nearby also served as a fun place to hang out while the food was being prepared on the grill. The group consisted of old friends and new faces. There was lots of chatting, laughing, and a few friendly games of backgammon.

Special thanks go to Omar El Ara for standing in the heat to grill the hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken. Served alongside the grilled meats were a delicious potato salad, coleslaw, chips, fixin's, and drinks. There was plenty of food and drink to go around. Thanks to all who contributed their time and energy to bringing and helping to serve the food and drinks and to all those who helped with clean up!

The picnic was a success and we are already looking forward to doing it again next year!

See the Fall Picnic movie on our Photos page.

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Our most popular event, the annual Hafleh, was held on October 11th, 2008. The master of ceremonies, Steve Flaherty, initiated the festivities with the introduction of Dr. Wissam Nadra who sang the American National Anthem followed by the Lebanese National Anthem.

The Metrolina Phoenician Club President, Roger Soudir, welcomed all the guests and reminded everyone that this is the 22nd anniversary of the Club which was founded in 1986. He reiterated that while the Club organizes events and parties, we never forget our main mission to maintain our heritage and provide monetary help for the orphanages and children charities in Lebanon regardless of their religion and background.

He thanked all present for attending this event and for their continuous support of the Club. Every year the Club recognizes a member for their services, and this year was no exception. For her efforts, dedication and for serving about 14 years as a board member , Rita M. Forzley received a Service Award for her contibutions and service to the club.

Dinner started with fatayer and kibbeh which were prepared by several members of the club who had joined forces to make more than 1,400 pieces of the loved appetizers. These went well with the Lebanese Ksara wine that was served during the evening courtesy of one of the club members who donated the wine.

Chadi Naddaf & his band entertained the guests throughout the night. The dance floor was packed with many people joining hands and dancing the Dabkeh to everyone's delight. Yasmine, the Belly Dancer, added to the excitement of the evening with her great performance.

Raffle and door prizes were awarded to many lucky guests who ended up winning an iPod, a flat screen TV, a digital camera, a hotel weekend stay, 4 Checkers Hockey Tickets and $100 gift cards. Most of the prizes were graciously donated by club members.

See the Hafleh pictures and movie on our Photos page.

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Register for ongoing or future events:

Ø To register for an event, suggest or help in planned activities, contact us or call Roger at 704-236-4994