On April 13th, Vancouver Estonian Society (VES) celebrated its 75th anniversary. The theme of the event revolved around dance - a folk dance ensemble was one of the first initiatives when VES was founded. The evening featured folk dance performances, guided Estonian group dances for the participants, and live music with more modern tunes to groove to. Of course, the party also included glimpses from the past, celebration of the community, and Estonian food. A more detailed story of the celebration can be found in Eesti Elu. 

Society for the Advancement of Estonian Studies in Canada (SAESC) has also been looking into the past, but commemorating the darker side of our history. At an event remembering the March deportations of 1949, Lilian Olljum talked about her trip to Siberia to search for relatives who are the descendants of deported Estonians. A remembrance event for the June deportations of 1941 was also held. 

Leading to the 80th Anniversary of the Great Escape in the fall, Mare Kallas talked about her book “Helene: Mastid mäletavad”. The book tells the story of 483 Estonians fleeing from Saaremaa to Sweden on a motorized sailboat in 1944. For the fall events commemorating the Great Escape, follow the upcoming events calendar of the EFC Newsletter.

Maarika joined the current Foundation Manager Nicole Pede in the EFC office in June to provide a smooth transition. Nicole will be moving on from EFC in August to start law school. Maarika was born in Estonia and moved to Canada in 2020 with her family. The Estonian community has helped her greatly with settling into a new country - Maarika attends Kungla's folk dance practices, writes tech and innovation articles for Eesti Elu, and takes her kids to Lasteaed on weekends.

EFC's mission to sustain and develop the Estonian heritage and culture is very close to Maarika's heart. She has extensive experience in business and relationship management and is looking forward to applying her skills and experience to the benefit of the community through EFC.

Tere tulemast, Maarika!

For decades, Canadian and American Estonians have united at the Lakewood Estonian Games.

EFC is pleased to support this 70th anniversary initiative, bringing together North American Estonians and friends to celebrate a shared love for culture, heritage, and sport!

416-465-5600 info@estonianfoundation.ca www.estonianfoundation.ca