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The Newsletter of Northern Ireland Children's Enterprise

     NICE Founder and Chairman Don Murphy and his wife Mary Jo have contributed nearly $150,000 this year to ensure that the work of the Northern Ireland Children's Enterprise continues in perpetuity. They have donated over $125,000 to the burgeoning foundation, and their continuing support of golf tournaments and other funds that support operating expenses approaches $25,000.
     It was Don's vision that began NICE in 1988, after ten years working with the Irish Children's Summer Program as they brought children out of Northern Ireland to enjoy a respite from “The Troubles”. While violence raged in the streets of Belfast in the mid-70's, boys and girls were able to enjoy the peace and stability of an American summer holiday. For many of these children, although they lived just blocks away from each other, their first opportunity to meet was on the plane to America. Friendships were formed between Catholic and Protestant children who previously had known only hatred and sectarianism. But when they returned home, it was simply too dangerous to visit the “other” neighborhood.
     Don and Mary Jo had been a host family for many years, and they believed that the real work begins when the children return home. Don helped finance the residential facility in Ballycastle where the children could continue to meet and grow their friendships. Now that work continues on a daily basis in the second NICE center in Belfast that was purchased last year.
     Two other people who have been instrumental in initiating the foundation are Fred McCarthy, whose donation of over $120,000 was a great start to the fundraising effort, and NICE Board Member Bill Griffin. Since Don announced the establishment of the fund last year, Bill has invested time and talent in our efforts toward building our foundation, and has helped direct other foundation funds toward NICE.
     Thank you to all who have contributed to the NICE foundation.

Don Murphy (right) presents donation to the NICE Foundation to Jack Nelan

     During this holiday season, we remind our friends who might want to make a year-end donation to the NICE foundation that it is easily done. Just send your check to NICE at 344 Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549, and join the peacemakers in their work.
     Our goal is to raise three million dollars to fund the program. During the first year, we had commitments of $600,000. With $350,000 collected already, we still have a long way to go to meet our goal.

Golf Tournament News

     This has been a banner year for NICE as our fundraising golf outings continue to grow. With seven tournaments in 2000, we raised over $400,000! After all expenses were paid to golf clubs, printers, catering facilities, and other vendors, the net gain to the program was over $250,000. Philadelphia raises over $80,000
     We send special thanks to all our friends at Chartwell Investment Partners who did such a great job of coordinating the Second Annual Greater Philadelphia Tournament. Led by Mark Sullivan and Mike McCluskey, the committee brought together 105 golfers on a lovely September morning.      This tournament will long be remembered as the first time in our 13- year history of outings where a golfer made a Hole-in-One at the appointed hole, and won a two-year lease on a Mercedes C-230.
Presidio Sold Out for First Outing
     Our thanks go out to Bill Norris of Montgomery Asset Management and all the members of his committee for a great time at our first San Francisco tournament. Thanks to Bill's foresight, the outing was sold out weeks in advance of the Oct. 12 date. The event raised over $40,000 - quite impressive for the first year.

Coming Up: Palm Beach, Florida
    The second annual outing at Bear Lakes Country Club is spearheaded by Mike Gibbons of Estee Lauder, Pat Rooney of the Palm Beach Kennel Club, and Eileen and Joe Cornacchia. Call now to reserve your foursome for the February 12, 2001 event.

Naples, FL: New Date, New Co-Chair
     The fourth annual outing at Pelican Marsh Golf Club will be held April 2, 2001. Jack Jordin joins Amby Redmond as co-chair this year as we head back to Florida for the spring season.

New Outing Planned in California
     Our first San Francisco tournament was so successful that it spawned another California event. Rick Becker, who rented a bus to bring two dozen of his friends from Silicon Valley to the Presidio outing, decided to start an annual tradition with an outing close to his home. Monday, May 14, 2001 will be the date for the First Annual NICE Tournament at LaRinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, California.

Summer Outings
   The dates for our summer outings in Mount Kisco, Boston and Mahopac are listed on page 4 - just clip the bottom of the page and save as a reminder.
   Our Mount Kisco outing will be a little later than usual, on June 21, to accommodate the schedule of our friend and spokesman, CBS commentator David Feherty. You'll also notice that next year's Greater Philadelphia outing will return to Waynesborough Country Club, home to the PGA Tour's "SEI Pennsylvania Classic".
   The spring issue of our newsletter will have more information on these outings and on the work of the terrific committee workers who bring them all together.

Dick Boothby shows his appreciation to Don Murphy after Dick hits a hole-in-one at the Second Annual Greater Philadelphia NICE Golf tournament.

Thanks for the Memories

     Our night at the Bronxville Field Club on Nov. 16 was a delicious event in a beautiful setting. We have had many rave reviews about the whole evening, and, in particular, about the fine cuisine presented by the members of Club Chefs of Westchester, Inc.
     We are most grateful to Chris Devine of the Whippoorwill Club for coordinating the evening, and to Mike Dolan at the Bronxville Field Club for hosting it.

     Thanks to the chefs who made the event possible: John Krall, Jose Andrade, Mark Clinkenbeard, Marco Sanchez, Wayne Klingman, Chef Park, Eddie Loayza, Lenny Phillips, Lisa O'Gorman, Peter Ready, John Fernandez, Chef John at Knollwood Country Club, and Joe Scarmuzzi. These chefs donated not only their time and talent, but also all the food for the evening.
     Thanks also to Brian Conway and JoEllen King, who provided the music for the evening.
     Congratulations to Jack Nelan who did such a great job organizing the event. The charity raised nearly $16,000 which will give us the opportunity to continue the work we do for the benefit of the children of Northern Ireland.

A NICE Gift

     Do you have an odd set of NICE glasses from past events? Are there only five matching glasses when the table is set for six? Did you break your favorite tumbler from the year you had the longest drive? Are you looking for a unique Christmas gift for the folks? We can help!
     For a limited time, we are opening our storage vaults and sharing some inventory of beautiful Belfast Crystal glasses, cut with a distinctive harp and the NICE logo.

     Don and Mary Jo Murphy have been donating these lovely glasses as mementos of our golf tournaments for many years. For the new millennium they have chosen a new style, a lovely goblet which will look perfect next to your set of crystal glasses.
     Send your check for $20 per glass to NICE at the address below, and we'll get them out to you promptly.

Report from the Executive Director, Northern Ireland      by Carmel McCavana

     For once all eyes in Northern Ireland are on what's happening on the political front in the USA with the present election crisis making the headlines here, which makes a pleasant change instead of our own local problems! I hope that by the time this newsletter reaches you a new President will finally have been selected and that he, whoever he might be, can get on with the serious business of running a country!
     Talking of US Presidents, Bill Clinton is returning to Belfast before Christmas to lend his support to help the current impasse in the peace process, so we wish him well in that. Things on the political front have settled down considerably, although there is still some areas of concern on both sides about issues like policing and decommissioning of arms, which have now reached a critical stage, so we have yet another crisis to come through, but we are used to this by now.
Ballycastle programs
     Over the last few months our programs in Ballycastle have continued to grow and we are preparing for an even busier 2001. Ballycastle weekends continue to be a great success. From September to December there have been over 160 young people taking part in programs at weekends. These young people then have the opportunity to meet up again in Belfast during the week and take part in reunion nights. Once each group has had the chance to meet on their own we will have open nights when all the young people can come to the center and take part in organized activities. We are currently trying to identify someone who can lead a drama group on a regular basis next year so that we can explore issues of reconciliation through this medium, which has proved very successful in the past.
Young adult programs
     Before the summer we recruited and trained a group of 25 young people, aged 17-21, to become volunteers with us. They helped us out at Ballycastle and in Belfast during summer programs and are now volunteering throughout the winter.
     As part of the evaluation process at the end of the summer schemes, many of the young people wanted to continue to meet and engage with each other in political dialogue, which they had begun during their training with us. For most of them it was the first time they had developed relationships and discussed issues in relation to the political situation in Northern Ireland with members of the 'other' community. They found this challenging and rewarding and asked if we in NICE could set something up which would enable them to continue these discussions and broaden their political perspective. We devised a program which will involve meeting and engaging in discussion with political leaders from all sides in N.I. and also visiting Dublin and meeting some of those involved in politics in the Republic of Ireland. On 11th December, as part of this program, we will be visiting the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont. We will tour the building and see a session of the Assembly which will be sitting that day, so we will be able to listen to the debate. We are hoping also to meet some politicians.
     Over 600 young people and adults have visited Australia House during the last three months and taken part in various events, conferences and activities. We need to continually look at ways of recruiting and training volunteers to meet the demands this makes on the organization, but we are in a very healthy position and have continued to grow and develop as an organization during the past year.
Paul Mc Crory Leadership Award
     Our Chairman in Northern Ireland, past chaperone and volunteer Paul Mc Crory has done a lot of work over the past number of years, through his job as head of Physical Education at St Malachy College in Belfast, and for the New England Colonials International Basketball Club based in Boston. In recognition of this support the players, coaches and families of the club would like to create, and eventually endow, a leadership award in honor of Paul for 'his outstanding contribution to the peace process, and his lifelong commitment to the education and well being of Northern Ireland's children.' The award will be presented annually to a young person continuing their education at university or a college of higher learning. The recipient would have demonstrated outstanding volunteer leadership and cross-community involvement through their work with NICE. The scholarship stipend will range from £100-£250 as a one-time award and the name of the recipient will be displayed on a plaque in Australia House. The first recipient this year was Kelly Henry who has worked as a volunteer and chaperone with NICE for the past few years. She is a very dedicated and committed person who left NICE in September to study social work in Birmingham. In the future the young people themselves will decide whom the award goes to and they will be setting the criteria for this.
Volunteer Achievements
     Congratulations to James Law who scooped first place in a competition to find innovation and artistic flair. James was nominated through his school, Wallace High School for his work in drama and his artistic flair. He can do an impression of Jim Carey like nobody else I know. James hopes to study illustration at University and hopes to become an illustrator and animator for science-fiction fantasy film or cartoons after he completes his studies. He was presented with a laptop by Compaq who sponsored the competition which was open to all schools in Northern Ireland. Congratulations also to Sean Bowers and Owen Camplisson who were elected Head Boy and Vice Head Boy in St Malachy's.
Marathon fundraising
     One of our adult volunteers Richard Ferguson would like to compete in the New York, Belfast and maybe Sydney marathons in 2001 to raise money for NICE. It would connect all the places around the globe associated with NICE and we think it is a brilliant idea. We may even put in a relay team to give him a bit of support, so if any of our readers has any information on how to secure a place in the New York Marathon, please let us know. We will be trying to put together some sponsorship for Richard so ideas and donations would be gratefully received. It would be great publicity for NICE and generate a lot of interest- so good luck to Richard.

2001 Calendar of NICE Golf Tournaments

Monday, Feb. 12
Second Annual NICE Golf Outing at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, FL
Monday, April 2
Fourth Annual NICE Golf Outing at Pelican Marsh Golf Club in Naples, FL
Monday, May 14
First Annual NICE Golf Outing at LaRinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, CA
Thursday, June 21
Thirteenth Annual NICE Golf Outing at Mount Kisco Country Club, NY
Monday, July 9
Ninth Annual NICE Boston Golf Outing at Wollaston Country Club in Milton, MA
Monday, July 30
The Tenth Annual NICE Golf Outing at Mahopac Golf Club, NY
Monday, September 24
Third NICE Philadelphia Outing at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, PA
Thursday, October 11
Second Annual NICE San Francisco Golf Tournament at the Presidio Golf Course

For further information, or to register for any of these events just call NICE at (914) 666-6656 or visit our website at www.nicekids.org

From all of us at NICE to all our friends, we send best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2001 bring peace for all.

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