Aitäh and thank you to everyone who contributed in the 3-day Tere, KESKUS campaign to help build KESKUS International Estonian Centre in Toronto. The response from the global Estonian community was truly overwhelming. Support came in from the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Estonia and across Canada, from Vancouver to New Brunswick. The final amount raised was over $2.8 million, greatly exceeding the initial $1 million campaign goal!
Over 370 gifts were made during the campaign and each and every donor is truly appreciated. From the young children who donated loonies from their piggy banks, to the young families, grandparents and groups who donated tens of thousands of dollars: each and every donation made a difference. The KESKUS hard hat became a symbol of the international Estonian community coming together to build a current home.
Special thanks goes to the Torokvei family who provided matching funds, generating a 4X impact for each donation. The campaign goal was increased from $1m to $2.5m on Day 1 of the campaign due to overwhelming contributions and thanks to an Anonymous donor provided an additional $1million in matching funds. All this helped the campaign surpass all expectations!
Tõnu Kaljuste, Erki Nool, Anett Kontaveit, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves & More
The Tere, KESKUS three-day virtual event featured performances and special appearances from celebrities, dignitaries and community members. Olympic Gold Medal Winner Erki Nool, Ambassador Toomas Lukk, Toronto City Councillor Mike Layton, Grammy-winning conductor Tõnu Kaljuste, Chef Paul Lillakas, tennis pro Anett Kontaveit, Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, bluegrass band Curly Strings, singers Kadri Voorand and Rita Ray and many more made appearances in support of KESKUS.
Missed some of the events? You can stream each day’s programing via the www.estoniancentre.ca website.
Get involved and help support our future
Are you interested in helping build this spectacular new home for the global Estonian community? Please join our growing list of capital campaign donors! The International Estonian Centre’s donor categories are Kalevipoja Laud for gifts over $100,000 (including naming rights for specific areas), Viru Vanemad for gifts over $10,000, and Kungla Rahvas for gifts up to $10,000. Stay tuned for the launch of the Kungla Rahvas campaign in 2021.
To make a donation, please contact Urve Tamberg at donations@estoniancentre.ca.
Donations may be made as a family gift, or in honour of an individual or family. All Canadian and U.S. donations will be issued a tax receipt.
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