| Stars coming out for Monohan Dinner |
Mar 2002 |
Canadian television actress Alisen Down has volunteered to be a celebrity model next month at the fifth dinner and fashion show for Langley's shelters for battered women, operated by the Ishtar Transition Housing Society.
The evening is held in memory of slain realtor Debbie Monahan.
Down, who stars in the role of "Miranda" in the weekly CTV drama "Mysterious Ways", joins a growing list of confirmed celebrities who will help out Thursday, April 11 at Newlands Golf and Country Club. The evening includes dinner, fashions by Malary's Fashion Network and Grasby's Men's Wear, and a silent auction.
B.C. CTV Morning News anchor Jina Yu will join Malary's owner Yvonne Hogenes in hosting the evening's activities. The Province's team of Carey Gillette and Glen Schaefer will bring their "wild and wacky world of entertainment" to the runway. They join Langley MLA Lynn Stephens, Minister of State for Women's Equality, Langley City Councillor Terry Smith, Langley City fire chief Jim McGregor, and Homelife Benchmark Realty president Colin Dreyer.
Realtor Vi Horan and Michael Dreyer, branch manager of the Willowbrook office of Homelife Benchmark Realty, have organized the annual event with the help of their colleagues since the death of Monahan in February of 1997.
Monahan was murdered by her estranged husband after a Valentine's Day dinner.
"The business community as well as private individuals have always been supportive of our efforts to raise funds for the Ishtar Transition House, a home that provides safe haven to abused women and their children who are fleeing from family violence," they said.
More than $30,000 has been raised for Ishtar programs and services through the event.
Down, who has been nominated this year for a Leo Award for Best Female in a Drama Series for her role of Miranda, agrees: "It is for a great cause."
As Miranda, Down portrays anthropology professor Declan Dunn's unimpressed, sarcastic, and deadpan assistant in CTV's weekly Saturday night series, Mysterious Ways.
Down's star has been rising rapidly over the past four years. Born in Langley, she grew up surrounded by animals, which she used to entertain with skits and charades. As far back as she can remember, Down always wanted to be an actress, and she spent her youth writing and producing her owns plays.
After graduating from high school, Down attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California and then moved to England to continue her studies at the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford. She then returned to Vancouver and began pursuing her craft professionally.
She made the leap from roles in various stage productions (Hurly Burly, Death and The Maiden) to guest starring roles on television (DaVinci's Inquest, Cold Squad) with amazing ease. In year 2000, Down won Best Actress awards at both the Leo Awards (B.C.) and the Gemini Awards (Canada) for her work in "Cold Squad."
She also had leading roles in independent feature films, "The Good Burn," "Bad Money," and, "Late Night Sessions."
Tickets for the fundraising evening are $50 per person (with a tax receipt) and are available through all offices of Homelife Benchmark Realty in Langley and Cloverdale.
Organizers are also looking for corporate sponsors and donors of door prizes and silent auction items.
REPORTER: Mel Kositsky
SOURCE: http://www.langleyadvance.com/
COPYRIGHT: Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company.
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