Apollo Cinemas gift to special children

By Josefa Steven Maiava 02 December 2016, 12:00AM

Happiness and excitement sprung out all over the Apollo Cinemas yesterday when students of Fia Malamalama and Loto Taumafai arrived for a special screening of Disney’s Moana courtesy of the Cinema. 

The invitation from Apollo Cinemas couldn’t have come at a better time with the celebration of the International Special Needs Week, according to Leta’a Daniel Devoe.

Senese could not attend as they were busy with their annual prize giving ceremony.  

But for the students of Fia Malamalama and Loto Taumafai, they were over the moon.

 “When it was announced at school that they will be watching Moana free of charge, they were so excited because these children love the opportunities to leave the school to come into town or watch a movie,” Leta’a said.

“So this is a very special outing for them and not only are they going to be enjoying the movie, but also it’s away from school, away from home, something different for them.”

Apollo’s representative, Auree Westerlund, said the Cinema is delighted to be able to officer the treat to the students. The free movie came with free soft drinks and popcorn to complete the experience. 

 “We are sponsoring this event to help celebrate the international special needs week,” she said.

“There’s about over 100 students, 170 if you include the teaching staff and volunteers, and they will all get treated to some popcorn and sodas.

“They asked for a special price to pay, so I thought it would be a really good way of celebrating international special needs week, and an early Christmas gift for them to come and experience the theater experience and watch it on a big screen first.

“We chose Moana because we believe it has a lot of connections to our cultural background, and to top it off, it is Disney’s very first Pacific princess so I’m sure they will enjoy themselves.”

Ms. Westerlund said this was their contribution to the community, giving a special chance to watch Moana to a very special group of children.

 “We love to host these types of events every year. I think last year we had a Special Olympics day.

“We are honored and we look forward to seeing them again next year, and hopefully we will have all three schools with us.”

By Josefa Steven Maiava 02 December 2016, 12:00AM

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