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News
and Media
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Ethiopian-Canadian Day in Toronto
(Saturday, September 13, 2008 at Christie Pitts Park)
Toronto, ON, August 27, 2008 --
In September, Ethiopians around the world will ring in the New
Year. The Ethiopian calendar is one of the most ancient
calendars and probably the oldest still in use officially.
To mark this uniquely Ethiopian event, the
Ethiopian Association in the Greater Toronto and Surrounding
Regions will host a day-long event to be held on Saturday,
September 13th, 2008, from 10 am until 11 pm at Christie Pitts
Park in Downtown Toronto. Key events will include music and
performances by Ethiopian and other artists; a cultural exhibit
and sport events.
The Ethiopian-Canadian day, which started in
1999, is a celebration of our Canadian diversity. Last year,
approximately ten thousand Canadians of Ethiopian origin and
other Canadians marked Ethiopia's entry into the new millennium
with a day long event at Christie Pits Park.
This year, the Ethiopian community in Toronto,
while celebrating its heritage, will focus on the humanitarian
crisis looming over Ethiopia. The recent assessments by the
World Food Programme indicate that 4.5 million Ethiopians may be
affected by the emerging drought.
The Ethiopian Association in the Greater
Toronto Area and Surrounding Regions is a Not-for-Profit and
Charitable Organization incorporated in 1981. The Association
has been providing Community and Social service programs to
people of Ethiopian origin and others for the last twenty seven
years.
Media
contact: Dr.Busha Taa, 647-400-7605; busha.taa@utoronto.ca
Tamrat Gebeyehu, (416) 716-5844; ababuna@rogers.com
Ayda Assefa, 416 694 1522 pr@ethiocommun.org
Also
visit us at:
http://www.ethiopiancanadianday08.ca
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Assistance
for Residents of 2 Secord Avenue
The
Ethiopian Association Calls upon Ethiopians in the GTA to Provide
Emergency Assistance to Those Affected by the Explosion at 2 Secord
Ave.
Toronto, ON,
July 29, 2008 -- On the morning of Sunday, July 20,
2008 a huge explosion at 2 Secord Ave. made the 22-storey building
"uninhabitable" and left the over 900 residents homeless.
It was reported that the building sustained significant damage
as the hydro vault exploded destroying the electrical room.
Soon after the Ethiopian association learned that
there were Ethiopians residing in the same building, the
Association's staff went to Secord Public School, where residents
were staying temporarily, to request the whereabouts of the Ethiopian
evacuees in order to provide assistance. Officials told the staff
that residents were dispersed to different locations, i.e. hotels,
but were unable to disclose further information due to confidentiality
reasons.
Since then, a number of Ethiopians have come to
the Ethiopian Association seeking assistance. They explained that
the financial assistance they are receiving from the City of Toronto
is not enough for such emergency situation. They also do not have
cooking facilities in the hotel they are currently staying. The
Ethiopian Association and its staff donated the available emergency
cash and clothes to those who had immediate needs.
At this time, the Ethiopian Association would like
to call upon the Ethiopian community in the GTA to make contributions
in terms of clothes, food, and cash donations, however small it
may be, until the evacuees return to their homes in approximately
30 days.
The Ethiopian Association expresses its deepest
concern for the unfortunate incidence and will continue to extend
its assistance in all possible ways.
For further information, please contact Teferi
Adem at 416-694-1522 ext 22 or visit our office at 2064 Danforth
Ave. (near Woodbine Subway Station).
Media Dr. Busha Taa,
Ayda Assefa
contact: President
Public Relations Officer
Tel: (416) 694 - 1522 ext 33
Tel: (416) 694 - 1522
Email: busha.taa@utoronto.ca
Email: pr@ethiocommun.org
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