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December 12

A Very Croatian Christmas Raises $14,000 for Library Cause

We did it!

After months of preparation and hard work, we raised almost $14,000 for the Library's very first fundraiser, "A Very Croatian Christmas featuring Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion".

And judging from the positive feedback from our 360 guests, the event was a success.

Tomislav Herceg kicked off the evening with a solo guitar performance during cocktail hour. After guests were seated, the formal program began with a presentation of old Croatian Christmas traditions enacted by a Croatian "family". This was followed by a dance and music performance by Norval's Kralj Tomislav folklore group, finishing with a memorable performance by the 25-member CroArte Chorale, led by Betty Kovac. After a delicious dinner and conclusion of the formal part of the programme, guests hit the dance floor to the beat of Mladen Zalac.

Of course, such a shindig would not be complete without "special guests" and ours included Mississauga's newly minted Croatian Consul General Ljubinko Matesic and his wife Roberta as well as "Furious" George Smitherman, Ontario's former Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and current candidate for Toronto mayor in 2010.

But as good as the entertainment was, the indisputable star attraction that night was Mississauga mayor "Hurricane" Hazel McCallion. After an introduction that brought a standing ovation from the crowd, Mississauga's well-loved, 90-year old mayor did not disappoint, delivering a trademark down-home speech that left no doubt as to why her constituents find her so endearing and electable time and time again.

Through the generosity of Dynamic Iron, Eurotrade and the Gaspic family, we were able to present Mayor McCallion with a special gift on behalf of the Croatian community--one that we hope she will treasure for years to come. The gift was a one-of-a-kind, hand-made, wrought-iron basket designed especially for the occasion by Dynamic Iron. As a nod to the Croatian-Canadian Library, the basket incorporated a literary theme by using the rose pattern found on the "Bascanska ploca" on the base of the basket. (Long before the Romans came along, Croatians were writing in glagolic script and the Bascanska ploca is circa 1100 AD.)

We always knew that Croatians were a generous bunch. But when we did an informal tally of the estimated value of goods and in-kind services donated to us for the event, these donations topped an incredible $8000. As a community, we can be darn proud of this generosity--even in our current recessionary times!

Below is a list of organizations and businesses who sponsored tables, followed by others who were equally important in making our success possible:

Alpeza General Contracting
Ashley-Oaks Homes
Body, Mind and Soul Healing Centre
Dr. John Bubanovic
Dr. Vesna Vukelic
Draganjac Pressman Chartered Accountants
Filmar Electric
HDZ
Histerioni
Katarina Zrinska Croatian Women’s Organization
Komand Contracting
Local 675—Drywall Acoustic Lathing and Insulation
MIR Construction
Robert Herjevac
Slavonski fond

And a special thank you to:

Borys Wrzesnewskyj, MP Etobicoke Centre and his family-owned company Future Bakery—for their donation of all the night’s bread and desserts
Dragica Zebic, Sloboda Grdic, Miro Biskupovic, Tony and Fina Klusko, Ante Kovacevic, Mirjana Bikic, Marica Dubrovac, Branka Okresa, Ana Zaradic, Vicki Mimica, Durdica Mandic, Kata Krijan and others—for preparing the night's delicious meal
Mario Blaskevic—for his walnut, almond and fig donation
Dynamic Iron, Eurotrade and the Gaspic family—for the mayor’s one-of-a-kind gift
Sounds of Croatia radio programme—for our event advertising
Domobran radio programme—for our event advertising
Graphos Printing—for ticket printing and event advertising
Queen of Peace Franciscan Centre—for their discounted hall donation
Slavica and Emil Simunovic—for their programme and poster design services
Nikola Bilic Photography—for his photography services
Marija Cotic—for her Master of Ceremonies services
Tony and Ana Marincic—for helping in too many ways to mention
...and all the servers and bar staff who ensured that nobody went home thirsty or hungry (kakva bi to bila sramota?!)

Thanks to all for supporting a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the Croatian language and culture in Canada. And, please remember that all ticket purchases and donated goods or services are eligible for a tax receipt. To ensure that yours doesn't get overlooked, please verify that we have your mailing information by contacting the board member from whom you purchased your tickets.

In 2010, the Library will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. We look forward to your continued support and hope you will join us again as we commemorate this important milestone in our history.

RODU O JEZIKU

O jeziku, rode da ti pojem,
O jeziku milom tvom i mojem

Po njemu te svijet poznaje živa,
Na njem ti se buducnost osniva
Zato uvijek k njemu teži…..

Ljub’ si rode, jezik iznad svega,
U njem živi, umiri za njega!

--Petar Preradovic

Library board, Mayor McCallion and Consul General Ljubinko Matesic and Roberta Matesic

(Library board members are (l to r): Mirela Giannidis, Diana Alpeza, Biserka Butkovic, Anka Drandic, Mayor McCallion, Consul General Ljubinko Matesic, Roberta Matesic, Ljuba Djurdevic and Marina Cotic)