A Message from the President – January 2015

Dear friends,

Firstly, on behalf of the members of the Board of Directors, the staff, the volunteers of the HCGM and myself, I would like to wish each and every one of you happiness, creativity, health, joy and love for the New Year.

2014 was an important and eventful year worldwide, for Greece, for Canada, for Quebec and, certainly, for our Community.  Greece continued on its difficult path to overcome a six-year financial crisis.  In two weeks, Greece will vote for a new government in the hopes of leading the country to a better future.  Whichever party is elected to office, the HCGM will welcome and will underline to the new government the importance of preserving the Greek language and the Hellenic culture in the Diaspora.

Registrations for the new school year have started and we expect it to be a very good year. Dr. Aris Hadjinicolaou MD, who was a student of our schools, describes – in a testimonial published in this issue – the exceptional work done at the HCGM Socrates-Démosthène School and how the education he received at Socrates-Démosthène helped in the evolution of his career.

2015 begins with two major events in support of the HCGM schools. The «RBC Taste and Tradition” event will take place on Sunday, January 25th.  This is a unique event which promotes the original cuisine and wonderful traditions from the different regions of Greece.  37 local organisations and associations have joined forces and are working together to create this outstanding and memorable event.  It is perhaps the first time that so many organisations collaborate to create an indoor event such as this one.

At the initiative of the Montreal AHEPA Family, the proceeds from the “AHEPA 16^th Annual Saint Valentine’s Ball”, to be held on Saturday February 14th, will be donated to the HCGM School “Socrates-Démosthène”.  We are pleased that they have chosen to support such an important cause.

In closing, I thank all of you for always supporting and helping, in every possible way, the HCGM – your Community.  Without your valuable participation, our Community would not be where it is today.   Together we will face the future with resolve and we will succeed in the preservation of our Faith and our Hellenic heritage

Happy New Year!

Nicholas Pagonis

President