A Message from the President – October 2017

Dear friends,

Autumn is upon us and the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal is hard at work organising several notable events: our first blood drive, the Folklore Workshop’s new show and our annual celebrations paying tribute to the Liberation of Thessaloniki on October 26, 1912 and the Hellenic Epic of October 28, 1940.

I wish to extend my congratulations to the staff and teachers of École Socrates-Démosthène for organising another successful “Alexandria” cross-country race at the Centre de la Nature in Laval. For many years now, this annual event has given our students the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of physical exercise and to appreciate the value of competition.

It is with great pleasure that we announce that École Socrates-Démosthène will be organising a Family Day/Fundraiser with the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on October 22. I invite everyone to be a part of this special day.  At the same time, our school’s teachers and staff are busy preparing the campuses for the upcoming Open House period from November 5 to 8. They look forward to welcoming parents to visit our school and to register their children for the 2018-2019 school year.

We are also proud to provide you with an update on the exterior Restoration Project of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Phase 1 construction is now 90% complete and we have achieved 75% of our fundraising goal, owing to the generosity and faith of our Montreal community. I wish to extend my gratitude to the St. George’s fundraising committee and I encourage everyone in our community to contribute whatever they can to this great project.

Our Social Services department, in collaboration with École Socrates-Démosthène and the Montreal Police Department, will be organising a blood drive at the Hellenic Community Centre Adrian Maris, on Thursday, October 12, 2017. Your donation of blood is a gift of life that gives someone more time to enjoy and spend with family and friends, nothing could be better than that.

On Saturday, October 21, our Folklore Workshop will proudly to present its new show “Μελετώντας τις ρίζες μας – Ήταν ο τόπος μου…». Director Takis Tzotzis along with over 200 participants will take you on a journey to Anatolia of 1922 that will surely stir the spirit and revive memories of our forefathers.

Last but not least, October marks the celebrations of Thessaloniki’s liberation from the Ottomans as well as “OXI” Day, the resistance against fascism and Nazism. October 26, 1912 is an important milestone in our nation’s struggle for freedom, democracy and sovereignty. In this month’s edition, in a post edited by our Public Relations and Marketing Department, you can learn about the crucial moments leading up to Thessaloniki’s liberation.

Sincerely,

Nicholas T. Pagonis

President