Orange County Turkish American Association
19 Mayis Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı & Memorial Day
4th Annual Picnic Event Thanks
OCTAA members and guests celebrated 19 Mayis Atatürk’ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı (May 19th Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day) and Memorial Day at the beautiful Colonel Bill Barber Park in Irvine on May 18th. Warm weather did not stop 150 guests who joined together and celebrated our rich culture and heritage at our fourth annual picnic event. We enjoyed music by Emrah Ozkaya. Our children enjoyed playing games. Those who are tavla addicts had a chance to show their talents in a tavla tournament organized by Vice President Hasan Akyol and Esra Cosar. We congratulate Mr. Hasan Erbay for becoming this year’s Tavla Champion. Others simply enjoyed socializing together and catching up with friends and family.
We also thank Orhan Arli of Arli’s Catering in Los Angeles for attending the event and personally overseeing the food set up and serving delicious Turkish döner, pilav and salad, vegetable dishes, fruit, coffee and tea.
We held an opportunity drawing raffle and a Tavla Tournament to raise money for the Karacoban Sariveli Elementry School in Erzurum. Two fantastic prizes were given away, which helped raise $610 for the School in Erzurum. Mr. Adem Kocyigit was the lucky winner of a digital camera (happily accepted by his son Mert) and Michelle Drousé won a 30-person Arli’s Catering dinner. Congratulations to our winners!
The entry fee for the Tavla Tournament was established as a 50/50 fundraiser to support the winner and the Erzurum School. $80 was presented to tavla champion Hasan Erbay who then donated his winnings to the Erzurum Sariveli Ilkogretim Okulu Fundraiser. We appreciate his generosity! We are happy to donate another $160 to the Erzurum School for a total of $770.
As always, we greatly appreciate the efforts and contributions of the following hard-working volunteers, under the leadership of Sevda Aleckson and Nilay Keles (Event Managers), who were instrumental in this successful event: Hasan Akyol, Emrah Ozkaya, Keith Aleckson, Aysu Tazebay, Arzu Kocyigit, Mehmet Tazebay, Michelle Drousé, Ersen Ertem, Esra Cosar, Erdem Koyuncu, Melis Kocyigit, Semrin Aleckson, Jale and Nejat Yakupoglu, Asli Ozguz, Ozgur Askeroglu, Acelya Uncu, Engin Pehlivanoglu, Sibel Turfanda, Ozgun Canbazoglu, Ozkal Ozcelik, and many others for their help!
Please view more beautiful photos from this event by clicking here.
We welcome our new members: Esra Cosar, Jim Chester, Hasan Erbay, Levent Akkok, and Meral Tunalioglu to OCTAA community. We are grateful to all of our members and guests who joined us at this event showing their support and the unity of the Turkish-American community in Orange County.
Selamlar,
OCTAA Team
