November News…

IMANTA cordially invites you to the commemoration of the 93rd anniversary of Latvian independence on
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Edmonton Lithuanian Hall, 11629—83 Street, Edmonton
Reception                   4:00 pm
Opening                      4:45 pm
Dinner                         5:00pm

Musical program by Latvian musicians Latvian history project presentation by Athabasca University.
Tickets:
Members                     $20.00
Non-members             $25.00
Children 6-11              $10.00

Please RSVP by November 12, 2011 to imantaedmonton@gmail.com.

This year we changed venues for our November celebration because the Royal Glenora Club was not available for our dates. We also changed to an early evening function in order to accommodate all our members.  Please remember to reply by November 12th because we must let the caterer know how many guests to expect for dinner!
Transportation for Seniors: This is available to seniors through our casino funding. Please take advantage of it! Phone Yellow Cab at 780-462-3456 for a ride. If you have no vouchers, they will be available at the hall and the driver will come in with you to fill one out. You will be given another voucher to use for your return trip.
Thank you to all our members who have participated in our project with Athabasca University! There will be a presentation by AU at our November celebration to show you the early results. It’s exciting to see the collected information take shape through stories and photos.

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If you haven’t already, please follow our page on facebook. It’s a great way for us all to share news about Latvia and Latvians in our community!

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Last year IMANTA established self-administered annual scholarships using some of our casino funding. Congratulations to this year’s successful applicants:
Celeste Birzgalis, Kathryn Cotton, Tarryn Ann Klapper, Karl Korns, Kassity Lalonde, Andrea Murrle, Felix Murrle, Braden Pleckaitis, Kelsey Pleckaitis, Jillian Richards, Andrew Rudzitis, Julia Rudzitis.
A special thank you to Bob Brayman, John Neilson and Linda Payne, whose guidance and work on the application review committee made this possible once again.
We are also happy to recognize this year’s winner of the IMANTA scholarship offered at NAIT. Congratulations to Sarah Birzgalis, who is studying in the Chemical Engineering Technology  Program.

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Alberta Art Days in early October was a great success, with an excellent turnout for all events. Latvian history and art were showcased and our piragi were much enjoyed and appreciated . Many thanks to the hard working committee organised by Helen Richards and the Laurier Heights Art Club and Community League. An extra thank you to all the volunteers, especially our scholarship winners Jillian & Ryan Richards, Braden & Kelsey Pleckaitis, Andrew & Julia Rudzitis, and Felix Murrle for their enthusiastic support and work on Sunday afternoon.

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The 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will be coming to Edmonton and Calgary in December 2011. Latvia will be participating and playing all of its games in Calgary, starting on December 26th. IMANTA is considering hosting a reception for the Latvian hockey players in Calgary. If anyone has ideas or would like to help with this, please contact Ed Rudzitis at audentia@telusplanet.net.

Please note that there have been some changes in our membership fee categories which were discussed and voted on at the AGM in March 2011. Annual memberships will be available at the door on Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Please email imantaedmonton@gmail.com to request a membership form.