Dario meets The Children For Peace ONLUS
I first heard of Debbi Mace, President of the International charity “The Children for Peace” after the brilliant photographer Paul Wilcockson attended a glamorous Gala at the Hotel Incosol Marbella, in support of this Rome based and UNESCO recognized charity. I was to be present at the Gala and had my dinner jacket hanging, shoes polished ready to go, when I noticed that my dog Nicci, appeared to be in considerable distress. Alarmed by her unusual behaviour, I dashed off instead to an emergency vet and missed the Gala, but Nicci, professionally cared for, returned home safely that night, so though I missed the gala, I too had a happy end to the evening.
The event was attended by a veritable who’s who of Royalty, celebrities, industrialists and simply the famous. Paul working like a beaver, took many amazing photos of the proceedings, including stunning photos of most of the glamorous personalities who attended, HRH Princess Maria Luisa of Prusia, Count Rudy von Schoenburg, Countess Margit Mora y Aragon, Lamia and Adnan Khashoggi, Denise Rich, Ana Obregon, Carmen Martinez Bordiu, Mara Swarovski, Nina Junot and Sra. Da. Angeles Munoz, the Mayoress of Marbella, just to mention a few.
The guests were honoured to hear the world famous soprano Montserrat Caballé and her daughter Marti Montserrat Martí Caballé who sang for the audience, as well as a performance from tenor Steven Lloyd Morgan and Rebecca Tate in “The Prayer for Haiti” – a fantastic way to help the orphaned children in Haiti
Though it was an glittering evening of sophistication, entertainment and speeches, the event served a serious pupose, to raise much neeed funds for suffering, deprived children and to creae public awareness of its important work.
The Children for Peace ONLUS is an Italian NGO founded in 2005 with the express purpose of assisting children worldwide who are in need of fundamental survival support. – children caught up in the wars of hunger, of starvation, of illness, of armed conflict, of illiteracy and of isolation from opportunity.
The task of remedying these situations is great, and often, to others, impossible, the supporters know that the only way adversity is overcome is to confront it head-on and take all necessary actions to create change. It is with this in mind, that The Children for Peace was founded. Furthermore all donations they receive go directly to the projects. It has many supporters world wide including Sofia Loren, Richard Gere, Montserrat Caballé ex US President Bill Clinton, scores of well-known celebrities, aristocrats and NGO’s of International companies.
Though I didn’t make it to the gala, it’s strange how things work out in life’s twists and turns, because David Mairs and I, often talked about spirited people, who generously gave from the heart, using their own time to help charitable works.
Inspired by this idea I wrote the music to a work called “Corazon” (Heart) which David after writing some of the lyrics, set about producing in his studio. David and I called upon singer Samantha Mairs; David’s talented daughter to sing the part of “The voice of Heart Angel” as we felt the quality of her voice was perfect for the sound we were trying to achieve. It’s a complex piece of music and arrangement, and at first it gave David a few headaches, comprehending the way it worked, but with his usual quiet determination, he created a lyrics that suited the music, sung by Samantha and then we added spoken voice-overs to emphasise our message.
Paul Wilcockson used the song in a photo slide show in a series of striking photos of the guests that evening and I sent it to Debbi Mace the President of the charity, who graciously replied. “What a lovely surprise!!! We adore the song and would appreciate your permission to use it on our website. It is so beautiful and fully says what we feel.” Though I’ve never met this incredible lady, we’re connected by the music.
David and I are delighted that the song is now being used free to help the charity, exactly as we had imagined, as it’s “dedicated to people who are givers and have heart. The two slide shows are now on You tube, and can be seen on www.marbellamarbella.es or go directly to www.thechildrenforpeace.com where donations can be made.
The motto and daily mantra of The Children for Peace is “We will not give up, we will not give in, and we will not lose.”
Key to Mijas Costa Issue 72 – 17august to 16 October 2010 
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