Anniversary Gala of the

Village of Hope in New Brunswick

10th Anniversary Gala of the Village of Hope in New Brunswick:  
The Delta Marriott in Fredericton was host to the Gala which was attended by 385 guests. Platinum supporters of the evening were high profile businesses like J.D. Irving, Cooke Inc, Grant Thornton, Ernst & Young LLT, and the ministry of  Dunklin Memorial Church in Florida. Also, over 38 other business and church sponsorships of various levels were major donors for the event and ministry of the Village of Hope. The Village of Hope has capital projects in the near future of another dorm for the men and multi-functional building, which would include dining room, church and various other projects in its expansion.

Numerous Guests and Dignitaries attended the Event:  
Premier Blaine Higgs brought greetings and congratulations, in his first public gathering since being sworn in as premier of New Brunswick just one day previous to the event.   Former MLA Jack Carr, Emcee of the evening also introduced his brother Honorable Jeff Carr, Minister of the Environment in whose riding the Village of Hope is situated. Both Premier Higgs and Jeff Carr have been guests at the Village of Hope in Tracy.

Awards and Recognitions During the Evening:  
Included a presentation to Honorary Chair of the Gala Glenn Cooke of Cooke Aquaculture. The wooden plaque, made in the Village of Hope, stated:

In appreciation for your incredible generosity toward the building and development of the Village of Hope ministry worldwide, Glenn B. Cooke, On the occasion of 10th Anniversary Gala Event Fredericton, N.B. November 10, 2018 “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill “And before anyone can go and give them hope, they must be sent…” Romans 10:15 President / Co-Founder Rev. Andrew Vähi, Vice President / Co-Founder Bishop Märt Vähi. Left to right is Andrew Vähi, making the presentation, Glenn Cooke, Raiman Kukk, Executive Director of the Estonian Village of Hope and Missionary Märt Vähi.

Canadian Military Representatives:  
A husband and wife team is Master Warrant Officer Laurie Flowers, who is the Regimental Sergeant Major for the Base Commander of Camp Gagetown and her husband Master Warrant Officer Harvey Flowers who is Drill Sergeant Major. Their son Shawn, a graduate of the Village of Hope, is in volunteer staff training at the Village.

Village of Hope 10th Anniversary Gala Hosts:  
Andrew and Erica, together with their team of organizers and helpers wrapped up a splendid evening for guests and visitors. In his opening remarks, Märt Vähi expressed appreciation and thanks to the couple: “My wife and I are proud of the accomplishments of Andrew, our son, the work he and his wife Erica have done for this evening. You’ve done a fantastic job!  I say this, not only in relation to this evening alone but particularly in the work of the Village of Hope here in New Brunswick – this as well as in Europe, in the country of Estonia.”

Featured Guest Speaker of the Evening:  
TV Host of HGTV Decked Out and Custom Built Home & Home to Win, Paul Lafrance, shoots an energy-packed selfie together with his wife Janna and featured guests.

Numerous guests filled the activities from across the country. It was also an honour to have Kenn Parker representing the ACOP present during the evening’s celebrations.

Meetings and Discussions followed the Gala:  
From left to right, Nick Reynolds, President of Dunklin Memorial Church, Todd Haskell, Vice President and Hugh Morrow, former President of Dunklin Memorial  Church in Florida where Andrew and Erica trained to begin the ministry of the Village of Hope, Missionaries Märt and Alta Vähi, Raiman Kukk, Executive Director of the Village of Hope Estonia, Andrew and Erica Vähi, George and Margo Glover, former Executive Director of Teen Challenge for 33 years, not serving as a consultant to the Village of Hope ministries.