On August 1st, Anne Liis Keelmann “stepped into a new decade” as she put it and decided that in lieu of birthday gifts for her 70th special day, she asked her guests to contribute a monetary donation to support St. Peter’s Estonian Church instead, because it is the right thing to do.
Anne Liis has worked in various capacities, passionately being involved in almost all aspects of Estonian society. She is the president of Eesti Selts, an active member of her Sorority Felia Patria, a member of the Estonian Central Council, a member of the Estonian Businessmen’s club, and now a member of the St. Peter’s executive council.
Tiina Jenkins welcomed everyone and said grace to start the evening, saying in part: “On this special, special day, your 70th birthday, we rejoice and give thanks to God for placing Anne Liis in our community, for her warmth, joyfulness, generosity and tireless energy and efforts. We pray that her day be filled with joy, reflection, and hope for the year ahead. Anne Liis, may God continue to bless you and watch over you all the days of your life.”
The evening’s guests enjoyed a bountiful dinner, followed by coffee, kringel, and cake. Anne Liis was serenaded by Andres Raudsepp with Estonian words to the tune of “The Rose”.
Väino Einola brought greetings from St. Peter’s and expressed how grateful he was for Anne’s new role on the Executive, as the lead person responsible for community outreach and event planning. It was obvious to all the guests that this is the perfect role for her. Anne’s enthusiasm about the future of St. Peter’s is contagious. Anne Liis has crafted an interesting calendar for the church’s fall program which you can find on our website here. Anne is hopeful that all her guests can make it to the upcoming August 20th combined service with Vana-Andrese congregation in celebration of the rebirth of Estonian independence.
The church is grateful to Anne Liis and her family for this generous and memorable fundraising effort. Väino thanked the guests for their encouraging words, well wishes and most of all their generous support toward the church. St. Peter’s has a donor wall where donors are recognized. A $500 donation will receive half a leaf and those that have contributed $1,000 receive a full leaf with their name on our donor tree.
The generosity shared by Anne’s guests is sure to make her birthday special and memorable. It was a meaningful way for them to celebrate Anne Liis’s birthday and feeling good about giving back to the community. Our community would be well served if Anne’s gesture of support for the community finds resonance in many of our upcoming celebrations.
