Hellenic Heritage Foundation - 24ο Ετήσιο “Blue & White Ball” Γκάλα

Το Ίδρυμα Ελληνικής Κληρονομιάς (HHF) είναι ένας κορυφαίος φιλανθρωπικός οργανισμός, αφιερωμένος στη διατήρηση και προβολή της ελληνικής παιδείας, πολιτισμού και κληρονομιάς, στον Καναδά.
Την Παρασκευή 3 Ιουνίου, το Hellenic Heritage Foundation γιόρτασε το 24ο Ετήσιο Γκαλά “Blue & White Ball” στο Universal EventSpace στο Vaughan, συγκεντρώνοντας κεφάλαια για την υποστήριξη της Εκπαίδευσης της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας σε όλο τον Καναδά.
Ο Πρόεδρος του HHF, Τόνι Λουράκης, απένειμε διακρίσεις σε δύο άτομα για τα σημαντικά επιτεύγματά τους και τις συνεισφορές τους στην κοινότητά μας.
Την εκδήλωση τίμησαν με την παρουσία τους ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Καναδά κ. Σωτήριος, ο Γενικός Πρόξενος της Ελλάδας στο Τορόντο κ. Βίκτωρας Μαλιγκούδης, ο Γενικός Πρόξενος της Ουκρανίας στο Τορόντο k.Oleksandr Shevchenko, η πρόεδρος της Ε.Κ.Τ. κ. Μπέτυ Σκουτάκη, ο Director & CEO του Βασιλικού Μουσείου ROM, k. Josh Basseches, ο πρόεδρος του Ελληνικού Γηροκομείου κ. Γιάννης Φαναράς, ο αντιπρόεδρος της Ε.Κ.Τ. κ. Κώστας Φλέγκας, ο αντιπρόεδρος της Παμμακεδονικής Ομοσπονδίας κ. Θεόδωρος Κερογλίδης και πολλοί επώνυμοι επιχειρηματίες, επιστήμονες και ακαδημαϊκοί της παροικίας μας. Πολλά χειροκροτήματα και συγχαρητήρια δέχθηκαν τα μέλη του χορευτικού της Ε.Κ.Τ. για την όμορφη παραδοσιακή παρουσία τους και τη μαεστρία τους στο χορό.
Την μουσική κάλυψη της εκδήλωσης είχε αναλάβει η Δήμητρα Καχριμανίδη με την παρέα της.
Συγχαρητήρια σε όλους που συνετέλεσαν στην όμορφη βραδιά.

MESSAGE FROM THE HHF PRESIDENT TONY LOURAKIS
On behalf of the Hellenic Heritage Foundation, I am pleased to welcome you to the 24th Annual HHF Gala, the Blue & White Ball, our premier fundraising event of the year.
Thank you for your support and generosity. Working with donors, partners, sponsors and leaders in our community, the HHF is making significant contributions in promoting Hellenic culture, language and education in Canada, providing opportunities and new experiences for youth and many others in our community.
We’re happy to be able to get together again after a long two years. Despite the challenges the pandemic brought, I’m happy to report that our members and volunteers were able to continue supporting and promoting Hellenic culture, language and education in Canada with the continued support of our donor community and sponsors.
Supporting Greek language education programs at the primary level continues to be a key priority for the HHF. Working with our partners at the University of Toronto, we have developed a Greek language education portal www.greeklanguage.ca, which serves as a valuable online resource tool to support teachers, students and families across Canada. We are providing new textbooks and workbooks to students enrolled in Greek language schools in communities across the country and continue to o_er a very successful “E_ective Teacher Training” certificate course with our partners from York University to all Greek teachers, as well.
Our annual podcast series has generated immense interest not only in Canada but around the world, covering a variety of important historical topics including the significance of the 200th Anniversary of Greek Independence and the 100th anniversary, this year, of the exodus of Greeks from Asia Minor in 1922. We have also focused on engaging the next generation of young leaders within the organization through a newly developed mentorship program, a speaker series called “HHF Talks” and opportunities to study abroad in Greece through our University programs and a program called “Heritage Greece” o_ered through the National Hellenic Society in collaboration with the American College of Greece.
The HHF was particularly proud to work with the Royal Ontario Museum this year to bring Kore 670 to Canada in an exchange program with the Government of Greece and the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Through a significant contribution by the HHF, we were able to serve as Lead Patron Sponsor of the Exhibit allowing visitors the opportunity to see this remarkable find from Archaic Greece.
The Kore Exhibit will be with us for the entire summer and returning to Athens on September 25. Be sure to see her while you can!

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• $3.5 million (with matching funds from the Ontario Government and York University) to endow the HHF Chair of Modern Greek Studies at York University, supported by graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships.
• $2 million to establish a permanent Hellenic Studies Program at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.
• $100,000 (with matching funds from the Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation) to create the Anaximandros Fellowship at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. • $100,000 (with matching funds from the Mirkopoulos Family and the University of Toronto) to create the HHF Nick Mirkopoulos Memorial Graduate Fellowship at the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto.
• Significant monetary contributions and support to the Greek Community of Toronto, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto [Canada], the Hellenic Home for the Aged, the Hellenic Hope Centre and the Hospital for Sick Children.
• Ongoing support of Hellenic heritage, culture and education by funding initiatives in film, photography, live theatre, conferences and many more activities.
Most recently, we launched a fundraising campaign in support of our newest major project initiative – the HHF Greek Canadian Archives. In collaboration with York University, this investment will preserve our Hellenic culture, heritage and history of Greek immigration to Canada, ensuring that it will be shared with future generations to come.
We’re very proud of our dedicated team of Directors, Members and Volunteers. Along with your support, over the past two decades, we have raised over $10 million in support of these causes and our mission to promote, preserve and advance Hellenism in Canada.
Thank you for your continued generosity and we hope you enjoy the evening.

2022 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation is proud to bestow its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr.John Maris. John is a leader in Canada’s aerospace industry. He is the founder and president of Marinvent, an aerospace and training services consultancy company. John holds a PhD in Aviation Safety and Human Factors, Master’s degrees in Aviation Management and Aviation Science, and an undergraduate Aeronautical Engineering degree from prestigious universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a member of the Order of Professional Engineers of Quebec. John is an ambassador for Canadian aerospace on the world stage and one of the leading voices for small business within the Canadian aerospace community. His achievements have directly contributed to the advancement of Canadian aviation’s growth and global impact.
Throughout John’s career, he has remained an active community volunteer and mentor for students and young entrepreneurs. He participates on numerous university boards and has taught post-graduate university courses on a variety of subjects within the aviation industry.
John has received numerous awards and accolades over the course of his career and his contributions, inventions and patents in aviation and aerospace have earned him international recognition as a leader in his field. Among his many recognitions, John received the coveted McKee Trophy from the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute and the Floyd Award from the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada for his outstanding and exceptional contributions to aviation in Canada. In 2018, John was admitted to the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, joining esteemed Canadian aviators, for his role in inventing the world standard in Electronic Aeronautical Charting, as well as for his twelve-year military service and contributions to the International Space Station program as manager during the early development of the Robotics Workstations that control the Space Station’s Canadarm2. The Hellenic Heritage Foundation is honoured to present John Maris with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding and exemplary accomplishments.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT UNDER 40 YEARS OF AGE
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation is proud to bestow its 2022 Outstanding Achievement Under 40 Award to Vassy Kapelos. Vassy is well-known across Canada as the host of CBC News Network’s Power & Politics, based in Ottawa. Prior to working at CBC, she was Ottawa bureau chief and host of The West Block on Global News.
Vassy is an award-winning journalist. She has covered and anchored multiple elections, both federal and provincial, reported on breaking news events across Canada, and covered stories and events all over the world, taking her to places such as Rio de Janeiro, Iraq, South Korea and Japan. She has interviewed prominent individuals from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Vassy holds a BA in Political Science (Western University) an MA, Political Science (Dalhousie University) and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Edward R. Murrow award for her work on a series called Code Red, a Canadian Screen Award for “Best Live Production, Social Media” in 2020, and the 2021 Leitch Lecture Award from the University of Alberta and University of Calgary’s Faculties of Law.
Vassy is an excellent role model and mentor to many young journalists. She has demonstrated immense energy in pursuing a demanding profession, while raising a family and contributing to the wellbeing of her community. Her dedication to her career is inspirational and her contributions to helping others in her community are exceptional.
Vassy has dedicated her time to a number of communities and charitable organizations across Canada. She has helped organize multiple fundraisers and has worked with Community Living and the Toronto District School Board to run a learn-to-row program for underprivileged and special needs children. Each year, she also volunteers her energy and time to host and/or moderate about 25 events and panels for di_erent organizations including Canada 2020, the University of Calgary, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, The Hellenic Initiative Canada and most recently the HHF Next Generation Speaker Series, “HHF Talks”.
The Hellenic Heritage Foundation congratulates Vassy for her outstanding and exemplary contributions and is honoured to present this Award.