We did it ! Together, we brought nearly 800 participants to LEP2011 to celebrate world- class Estonian music, folk dance, and many other aspects of our cultural heritage. That’s more than 200 over our goal! We worked hard during the festival, and all our events occurred with great success. The performances were awe-inspiring, and the participants returned home with wonderful memories.

We are grateful for the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication all of you brought as volunteers to LEP2011. Thank you for the generous donation of your time and efforts !

By all of our volunteer efforts, we set a wonderful example for LEP 2013, and demonstrated the power of individuals working together to create a remarkable festival.

Leo Rosten, noted academic and humorist, wrote “The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.” We are fortunate to belong to a community that places great value on volunteerism. Our combined efforts to en- hance Estonian cultural life in our community have made a difference in all of our lives.

Thank you very much for your tremendous help with organizing our great celebration of Estonian culture and ethnicity in Portland !

Kalle Merilo