HHF Funding Updates & Additional Support to GCT

As we continue to navigate through the current pandemic, we remain diligent in our efforts to support our core mission.

Despite the challenges associated with the past year, we have been able to make a significant difference in our community as we were able to fulfill the following objectives:

• We processed our final pledge installment of $160,000 to permanently endow a Hellenic Studies Program at the University of Toronto;
• We provided $100,000 to support our seniors at the Hellenic Home for the Aged including supplying all staff and seniors with much needed PPE at the height of the pandemic, as well as providing each senior with a Christmas Care Package over the holiday season;
• We pledged $75,000 in support to the Canadian Institute in Greece of which we will be making our second installment of $25,000 this June;
• We launched a campaign to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Greek Independence that includes a historical podcast series "The Idea of Greece" (which has managed to achieve over 4,000 downloads globally, to date) as well as a plaque installation through Heritage Toronto to be placed at 170 Jarvis St, the location of the first Greek Community office in Toronto; and
• We have continued to support Greek School Language programs through a number of textbook donations to a various Greek communities, through the creation of an online Greek education portal we have developed through UofT, called www.greeklanguage.ca and through a Teacher Training Certificate course we offer tuition-free to all Greek language instructors across the country, through York University.

It should be noted that to date, over 240 Greek language instructors across Canada have now taken the Effective Teacher Training Certificate course we have developed with the Faculty of Education at York University and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we have received for this offering has been extraordinary.

In response to the current funding challenges facing the administration of the GCT, we are also pleased to announce up to an additional $30,000 in support.

Please see the attached letter from HHF President Tony Lourakis regarding this funding announcement.

Moreover, our Board of Directors and dedicated group of volunteers have been working diligently on our next major project initiative which we are poised to announce later this Summer.

As we look forward to much brighter days ahead, we hope we can count on your continued support as we continue our work to preserve, promote and advance Hellenism in Canada for generations to come.