Florida Estos

The members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts (KFES) look forward to the programs to be hosted by the Estonian American National Council (EANC)/Eesti Rahvuskomitee Ühendrikkides (ERKÜ) in conjunction with the EANC/ERKÜ meetings at the Hilton Hotel, St. Petersburg, Florida, which run from November 10-12, 2017.

The Estonian American National Council (EANC/ERKÜ) invites the public to a special interactive panel program that will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 11, 2017, in the Hilton Hotel in lovely downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

The free afternoon program will feature three interactive discussions on topics such as the current Washington DC political scene, local Estonian entrepreneurship, and ties between Estonia and the Estonian diaspora.

The series of panels will bring together the following experts and special guests:

Panel #1: “Advocacy Rock Stars in Washington”
Panelists: Michael Sawkiw, Jr., Executive Vice President, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; Marju Rink-Abel, EANC President; Karin Shuey, EANC Washington DC Director
Moderator: Eric Suuberg

Panel #2: “Florida Estonian-American Entrepreneurs”
Panelists: Sigrid Bratic, Partner, Little Greek Fresh Grill franchise restaurants; Merle Liivand, CEO, Swimera; Kaie Põhi-Latterner, Owner, TEC Inc.; Terje Van Schaik, President and co-owner, Greenspeed USA.
Moderator: Linda Rink

Panel #3: “Estonia and Estonians Abroad – Strengthening the Relationship”
Panelists: Marcus Kolga, President, Estonian Central Council in Canada and Senior Foreign Policy Fellow, MacDonald-Laurier Institute; Renee Meriste, President, Estonian Society of Los Angeles; Marju Rink-Abel, President, Estonian World Council
Moderator: Matti Prima

The program will be followed by a cocktail reception and dinner in the Hilton Hotel. Please contact Linda Rink immediately if you are interested in attending the dinner, featuring keynote speaker Estonian Ambassador Lauri Lepik. (Tickets are $75 per person, payable in advance.)

The Saturday program and dinner are in conjunction with EANC’s 2017 annual meeting on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The annual meeting is open to all interested parties, but prior registration is required, as space is limited.

For more details, and to register for the dinner, contact Linda Rink at erku@estosite.org or by phone at 215-546-5863. More information may be found here: Estonian American National Council website.

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Nineteen members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) eagerly gathered together for lunch after our summer hiatus on Sunday, October 1, 2017. We took this October opportunity to hold our annual business meeting normally held in November. We met in the usual lovely private room in one of our favorite restaurants: Pier 22, 1200 1st Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205. We missed our former members, the Shipotofkys and Jaskas, who have moved away from the area. We also missed our members who have not yet returned from their summer venues, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Jaan Kuuskvere was elected to run the annual business meeting. KFES President Kersti Linask provided reports from the KFES Board. Members of the Audit Committee provided a positive report confirming the accuracy of the KFES finances and financial reporting. KFES members approved the minutes of last year’s business meeting, the 2016-17 budget, and the budget for 2017-18. The Treasurer, Anneliis Kuusik, unable to join us today, was applauded in her absence for her exacting work managing KFES finances. All current Board members were re-elected to serve as the KFES Board in 2017-18.

Because there is cross-membership in KFES and the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Central Florida, Pastor Priit Rebane gave the members an update on the status of the tiny congregation, which will no longer be holding services on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. Pastor Rebane will continue to be available for pastoral counseling.

Priit and Judy Rebane. Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts, Annual Meeting, 1 oktoober 2017, Bradenton, FL.

We have lots of exciting events coming in 2017-18. In addition to providing a preview of what’s coming in 2017-18, KFES President Linask provided exciting overviews of (1) the upcoming meeting and program of the Estonian American National Council (ERKÜ), which will be meeting November 10-12, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Florida, and we are invited to participate; and (2) our celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Estonian Independence, which will take place on March 10, 2018, in the Feather Sound Country Club (a new location this year). We invite you to add these events to your calendar now:

November 11, 2017: We will join the Estonian American National Council (Eesti Rahvuskomitee Ühendrikkides), which will be convening a special program in St. Petersburg (FL). Visit this website for more information: Estonian American National Council (ERKÜ). Please note: October 15, 2017 is the deadline for pre-registration and reservations.
December 9, 2017, 2:00 pm: Santa Claus/Jõuluvana will join us for a traditional Estonian holiday dinner with jõuluvorstid.
January 7, 2018, 2:00 pm: Estonian Soup and Sandwich Potluck Luncheon/Eesti supp ja võileiv lõunasöök
February 11, 2018, 2:00 pm: Lunch
March 10, 2018, 11:00 am: Gala Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Estonian Independence/Eesti Vabariigi 100 Aastapäeva Tähistamine
April 14, 2018, 12:00 pm: Our traditional April birthdays and Jaanipäeva potluck picnic

For information about the Kesk Florida Eesti Selts, please contact:
Ms. Kersti Linask by email at kklinask@gmail.com
or
Ms. Triin Karr by email at triin.karr@gmail.com

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