A Message from the President – February 2017
Dear friends,
February has brought much snow and cold so far and as we surge forward into the heart of winter, we hope that Groundhog Fred’s prediction for winter is end in 6 weeks will prove true.
During the last several months, a team of HCGM employees worked, with dedication and will, to complete our new Website. On February 9, 2017, we proudly implemented this project and I am happy to be a part of this launch. I invite every one of you to visit our new site at www.hcgm.org and become familiar with our organisation by browsing through its pages.
Preparations for the celebrations of March 25th – which marks the anniversary of the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman occupation of our country – are well underway. This year, our celebratory events will start a week earlier with the “Greek Composers Travel the World” concert scheduled to take place at the Hellenic Community Centre Adrian Maris. I invite all of you to join us for the talented Kleoniki Demiri’s performance, as she pays tribute to our great composers, as well as, to come out in great numbers, proudly waving your flags, at this year’s Greek Independence Day parade.
As we have announced, the Sculpture of the Greek Immigrant project is in its second phase of creation and we are pleased to provide you with some new pictures. This masterpiece will be offered by the members of our community as a gift to the City of Montreal for its 375th anniversary. The HCGM in collaboration with the Lyceum of Greek Women of Montreal and the Hellenic Congress of Quebec, encourage everyone to contribute to the financing campaign for this exciting project.
Once again this year, the “Taste & Tradition” event was a great success. This is the result of the collaboration of Hellenes working tirelessly for the benefit of our schools and thank all the people who put their heart and soul into making this event possible.
Our volunteers are always the core of our Community. The HCGM Social Services help in educating us as to why “the gift of time is priceless” and inform us on how to become a volunteer.
Finally, I would like to remind you that the Greek Islands documentary, produced by “Les Grands Explorateurs”, is still playing until the end of the month, so there is still time to see this great film.
I hope this month’s Newsletter edition provides you with great reading material and great company!
Sincerely,
Nicholas T. Pagonis
President