Bermuda's multicultural community is coming together for an evening of entertainment, dinner and dancing... with the proceeds benefitting a local charity.

The Kardias Club of Bermuda, themselves a registered charity which has made significant donations to local causes for nearly 40 years (in 1999 they raised $40,000 for Child's Wish), is involving Bermuda's many nationalities in their bid to raise funds for the Bermuda Autism Support and Education Society.

On Saturday, May 31, the Kardias Club will hold the "United Nations Evening" at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, and the club is seeking to involve all of the Consulates in Bermuda and as many nationalities as possible.

"We're trying to make it a big deal, the room holds 500 people," said event chairperson Judy Swan. The evening will begin with a cash bar from 7.00 to 7.45 p.m.

"So far we have 35 children from different countries and they will be singing "We are the World". We are also going to have different performances from the Portuguese, Filipinos, Scottish and the Irish, tap dancing by the United Dance Productions, an African dance group, of course the Gombeys and the Scottish bagpipes to open up the evening."

Some of the countries who are represented in Bermuda's community include United States, Canada, Scotland, Holland, Wales, Greece, Costa Rico, Norway, Barbados, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Germany, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, England, New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Japan and China.

"The children are all going to be dressed in their national dress or colours and will all have a banner saying what countries they are from," explained Mrs. Swan. She added that the adults attending are also encouraged to wear their national dress while Bermudians can also wear the dress from another country.

"People have travelled to Africa and different places so they can wear something from Africa," said Mrs. Swan. "We have 191 flags from the United Nations to decorate the Harbour Room. We will have the band Tempo to play the music from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m."

The cost for the evening, which includes a sit-down dinner is $90 per person and proceeds, after expenses, will go to the Bermuda Autism Support and Education Society.

"We've sent letters to all the Consulates and have invited the Members of Parliament, some of whom are married to people from other countries," Mrs. Swan explained.

There will be tables of ten and people from the various countries can reserve a table for the evening. As Mrs. Swan has discovered, Bermuda's community is very diverse.

"I couldn't believe it when I started to look for the kids...I still don't have one from Australia or South Africa yet," she said. "And I also need some from the different islands.

"I've been planning it for a couple of months and can't even sleep at night, for thinking of things!"

Anyone wishing to reserve a table should contact Mrs. Swan at 293-2113 or Nelda Cann at 236-3040.

The Bermuda Autism Support and Education Society (BASE) is a non-profit charity dedicated to helping children and adults who suffer from Autism, providing support to parents and professionals who are dealing with Autism and furthering awareness of the condition.

Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder which, in general terms, causes difficulties in the areas of behaviour, communication and socialisation and causes developmental delays. Autism affects one in every 250 children and is on the rise.

BASE was formed in February 2001 by a group of parents who felt that more information and education on Autism was needed on the island. They started with 20 members, comprising mainly of parents and caregivers, and have 120 members which include Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Paediatricians, teachers and paraprofessionals and parents and grandparents.

Funds donated to BASE are allotted to seminars and workshops or to their continuously growing library on Autism. BASE is a member of the Autism Society of America. In the last two years BASE had provided the community with nine educational seminar/workshops from overseas experts on Autism and also hold monthly meetings and a monthly newsletter.

Their most recent workshop was a three-day event in February.