“She loves it!”
Their son Esko and daughter-in-law Lisa have two children: Aelwen, 8, and Rowan, 6. They’ve attended Estonian summer camps, which were established over 50 years ago by the generation that first settled here.
Raivo, a chemical engineer and owner of specialty chemical companies Nortek Inc. and Aqua-Tek Inc., jokingly says he has spent half his life in the Estonian House on Broadview Avenue in Toronto, and stepped inside the building for the first time as a rookie scout. Raivo is the former president of the board of the Estonian House and served in that role for over two decades – he has seen first-hand how the community has evolved.
The way the new IEC is shaping up reflects the strong vision of the board, he says.
“We created objectives for our new home over ten years ago. We wanted a dynamic centre that would meet community needs, that would make us proud and attract all ages and generations, have flexible space, reflect our culture and heritage and have a modern and striking design that incorporates energy efficient features.”
“This is exactly how the IEC is coming together, and the go-ahead was supported by a majority Estonian House shareholder vote.”
Anne-Mari, a business graduate from Ryerson University, says the family is very much looking forward to becoming frequent users of the new centre.
“We envision holding family celebrations there, and attending the many Estonian events that go on in the community,” she said. “It will also be a place where we can invite our non-Estonian friends to share our culture and heritage.”
The couple say that Estonia has accomplished a great deal in the last two decades and that it’s time we think beyond just our community in Toronto and reflect, connect with and be a vital part of what it means to be a “global Estonian”.
“It will be wonderful for all of us to say that ‘it’s part of me, I belong here.’’
Get involved and help support our future
The International Estonian Centre’s capital campaign 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. The Kungla Rahvas campaign will launch in early 2020.
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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