EERO Canada started when the shelves in Estonia were empty, independence was not yet restored, and western supply chains had not been developed. Needs change and EERO’s goals and activities have evolved with the times. Initial capital from the Golden Hearts Ball (a joint event with AKEN [Academic Canadian Estonian Women]) and the Baltic Walkathon [with Latvians and Lithuanians]) was used to ship antibiotics and commonly used drugs donated by Novopharm or purchased at cost. To enable shipping goods, contracts were needed with the Estonian ministries of education, health, and social affairs. Over the years, the EERO Board of Directors has included Dr. Hans Sepp, Dr. Maret Truuvert, Dr. Jaan Roos, Ilmar Heinsoo, Laas Leivat, Dr. Reet Roman, Udo Petersoo, Eha Eljas, Avo Kittask, Tõnu Orav, Vaido Rooneem, Lea Kõiv, Arne Luik, and Toomas Merilo.
Canada supported the newly independent Baltic states with several projects through EERO: exchange programs for doctors, dentists, and teachers, and a multidisciplinary conference on stress. The Ontario government supported the shipping of books on women’s rights and healthcare to Tallinn University. We helped Endel Aruja send books to the Tallinn Central Library and, with the help of the Pärnumaa Society, sent the first mammogram to Pärnu Hospital.
In the early years, many did not trust sending parcels to Estonia by post. Valdo Tammark made a proposal to provide home delivery of parcels to relatives and this became known as EEROpakk. Profits from EEROpakk were used to fund the shipment of several containers of medicines, hospital beds, wheelchairs, computers, etc. to Estonia. A fully equipped ambulance was sent to Kärdla Hospital thanks to two families with roots in Hiiumaa. The last shipment was sent in 1993, after which financial transfers were made to the institutions with which we have contracts: Tallinn Children’s Hospital, Tallinn Technical University (TalTech), Tartu Children’s Hospital, Saaremaa Gümnaasium, etc.
Needs changed as Estonia established supply chains with Western suppliers. Over the years, we financially supported the purchase of new equipment, such as monitors for children and babies, a walking robot for the Tallinn Children’s Hospital, glucometers and monitors for children through the Tartu Children’s Foundation. Scholarships were established at Tallinn University of Technology and supported churches or schools as designated by legacies. New special needs equipment for the Haapsalu orphanage after the fire in 2011 was purchased by donations primarily from parents of children attending T.E.S. Supplementary School.
A big undertaking was the 2017 fashion exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)—to present Estonian fashion designers to Canadians—and the subsequent fashion show with the help of VEMU at Tartu College. The fashion show at the ROM was fabulous, with over 3,500 in the audience.
In 2022, Russia’s war in Ukraine began. Donations made it possible to help thousands of Ukrainian refugees, as well as help women and children cope by providing necessities and funding trauma therapy sessions in women’s support centres. EERO has continued to provide scholarships to Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech engineering students). Our support of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO)—for the purchase of stringed instruments—and Pärnu Music Festival for several years was awarded the title of Friend of Culture from the Ministry of Culture in 2022 and an invitation to a Friends of Estonia reception in Kadriorg. EERO has signed agreements with many organizations, the most recent of which is the Museum of Occupations and Freedom (VABAMU) in Tallinn.
In 2024, we worked with the Estonian American National Council (EANC) and the Association of Estonian Societies in Australia (AESL) to raise funds for the memorial sculpture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the exodus in 1944. The sculpture Touch by Elo Liiv was unveiled in September 2024 and moved to the banks of the Pärnu River in 2025.
This year, we supported Ukrainian refugees by covering the costs of Mindspring trauma therapy for Ukrainian refugees in cooperation with the Estonian American Foundation, headed by Christian Einberg, and with the Estonian Relief Committee in the United States, led by President Toomas Kilm. We continue to support the Pärnu Music Festival and the Pärnu Women’s Shelter and will award two TalTech scholarships in December. We also continue to cooperate with the Estonian Relief Committee, USA in supporting the Women’s Shelter in Pärnu. In October we celebrated our 35th anniversary at the event Meet the Maestro: Paavo Järvi in cooperation with VEMU and its project Estonian Music Week (EMW).
The founders of EERO Canada—Avo Kittask, Eha Eljas, Ilmar Heinsoo, Laas Leivat, Lea Kõiv, Mari Ann Tammark, Reet Roman, Tõnu Orav, and Udo Petersoo—met for the first time at Tõnu Toome’s law office in March 1990 hoping to help in the transition to democracy from a planned economy. As the current geopolitical climate remains uncertain, EERO Canada continues to maintain bridges between Canada and Estonia and hopes for peaceful prosperity in 2026.
We hope that Estonians and our friends in Canada will continue their generous support. We wish you all health, prosperity and good luck!
Mari Ann Tammark, EERO Canada President
