Update #97
Liisa and John Käärid are among the most recent Viru Vanemad donors to the Estonian Arts Centre, the charity associated with KESKUS International Estonian Centre. KESKUS will open in its doors in 2022 in the heart of Toronto, to celebrate and showcase Estonia innovation and culture.
Liisa, a corporate/commercial lawyer, has a particular reason for doing so. Despite a busy professional life, Liisa joined the EAC board and was recently elected to be the EAC Board Chair. Liisa comments “the more I become involved with this inspiring project, the more I want to be involved and contribute to seeing this vision realized. It is so very necessary for our community to have a state-of-the-art building that reflects who we are today – and opens new possibilities into the future.”
John, a software professional, echoes Liisa’s sentiments, saying that “KESKUS will be a key international driver for all things Estonian. The business accelerator alone reflects Estonia’s digital success story and will generate great scope for investment, commerce and exchange of know-how within North America and with Estonia. I’m very excited by what I see as the potential for the accelerator and we are delighted to contribute as best we can to the successs of KESKUS.”
Liisa and John have five children, Juhan, Kiira, Kaija, Mari and Andrus, one of whom was born in Estonia and all of whom consider their Estonian heritage to be fundamental to their identity. Liisa notes “KESKUS means a sustainable and relevant way for our children, and someday their children, to remain connected with all things Estonian. They are all in university and they look forward to celebrating social, cultural and life events at KESKUS. What a remarkable building we will have for all Estonians outside of Estonia to call their own!”
Liisa adds: “I encourage everyone to sign up for the newsletter at the estoniancentre.ca homepage, it’s the best way to stay in touch with project progress!”
Get involved and help support our future
Please join our growing list of capital campaign donors! The International Estonian Centre’s donor categories are Kalevipoja Laud for gifts of $100,000 and above (including naming rights for specific areas), Viru Vanemad for gifts of $10,000 and above, and Kungla Rahvas for gifts under $10,000. The launch of the Kungla Rahvas campaign is slated for June 2021.
To make a donation, please contact 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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