Arlington Heights residents meets prime minister of Estonia
Arlington Heights residents Gilda Karu and her husband, Fred Foy, were in Washington, D.C., Nov. 8-11, where they met Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas.
Ratas was the keynote speaker at a gala held at the Marriott Wardman Park on Nov. 9. The gala was sponsored by the Estonian American National Council and the Joint Baltic American National Committee.
Karu, whose parents were refugees from Estonia, has been an elected member of the Estonian American National Council since 1977, and was on the organizing committee for the gala.
In addition to the speech by Ratas, the gala featured song and dance performances by individuals and groups associated with "Singing Revolution: The Musical" (www.SingingRevolutionTheMusical.com), a new Broadway bound Europop musical that tells the story of the historic nonviolent events that led to ending the Soviet Union's almost 50 year occupation of Estonia in 1991.
Tony Spinosa, who has directed 50 theatrical productions and is working to take "Singing Revolution" to the stage, spoke briefly and introduced vocalist Erik J. Christensen, who sang two numbers from the production, and the Tallinn Dance Academy's Kingpools and Ladvaubinad folk dance troupe choreographed by Märt Agu.
Music during the cocktail hour and throughout the evening was provided by David Fletcher and his band, featuring vocalist Johanna Telander, who recently appeared on The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon. The emcee was stand-up comedian Andy Valvur.
The gala also featured award presentations. Illinois Congressman John Shimkus (R-15th) was among those recognized for his leadership and support in matters related to the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Earlier in the day, Karu and Foy attended the 13th annual Joint Baltic American National Committee Conference (www.jbanc.org), which featured speakers and panels on topics such as cybersecurity, NATO, and threats from Russia against the Baltic nations.
Among the speakers and panelists at the conference were: Dr. Michael Carpenter, managing director, Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement; Paul A. Goble, an analyst, writer and columnist with expertise on Russia; and J.J. Green, security analyst for TOPS radio in Washington, D.C.
On Nov. 10, Karu attended the annual meeting of the Estonian American National Council (www.estosite.org). The Estonian American National Council was founded in 1951 and is a 501(c) 3 organization. Its members are nationally elected to represent the interests of Estonian Americans.
During Estonia's occupation by the Soviet Union, the Estonian American National Council played an active role in educating legislators and the public about Estonia's plight and kept alive aspirations for Estonia to regain its independence.
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