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Dear Friends,
Congratulations to the Toronto Foundation for their wonderful accomplishments over the past five years! It’s exciting to see so many successes from the efforts of Czech members, returned missionaries, and friends.
I’m writing with an update on our Czech student exchange program. As many of you know, we have had seven high school students come to Utah for a semester of school over the past year. Overall, it has been a wonderful experience for the students, their host families, and all who have come in contact with them. They have had opportunities to improve their English, experience a different culture, and build lasting relationships.
We are excited to inform you that a group of seven Czech students will be arriving in the fall. These students will stay for a full year of high school, and will be joined by another group arriving in January for a semester-long stay. We are currently making arrangements for these students, and would ask for your assistance in finding good host families for them.
The students are both boys and girls from 15-17 years old. They are the best students and English speakers in their schools and have been carefully selected for this program. These students are not LDS, but are aware that they will be living in Utah, likely with LDS families. They each agree to live by a code of conduct during their stay that prohibits drinking, smoking, and inappropriate relations with the opposite sex. They also agree to follow rules specific to their host family.
If you are interested in hosting one of these students for the school year, or have any friends or family who may be interested, please contact Owen Fuller (owen@alwaysrememberfoundation.org) or myself. We are looking for families who are welcoming, kind, flexible, and financially able to support another person. We are open to considering families anywhere in Salt Lake or Utah Counties. Please contact us soon as we will be finalizing the host families in the next few weeks.
We’ve been very happy with the growth and success of this program. Thank you so much for your continuing support!
Stephanie Williamson
801-762-7635
steph.a.williamson@gmail.com
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The Wallace F. Toronto Foundation, a Utah-based public charity established to support community-based educational, goodwill, and humanitarian projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics, recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of its founding in April 2003. Over the last five years, the Foundation has raised more than $60,000 in funds from individual donors. Those funds have been used to facilitate and sponsor a wide variety of worthwhile and substantial projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics, including a highly-successful academic tutoring and mentoring center for underprivileged minority students in Prague, Czech Republic, the construction of a local park in Belusa, Slovakia, the official registration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Slovakia in 2006, and several other projects in cooperation with reputable and trustworthy Czech and Slovak-based charities and municipalities.
Perhaps the most exciting development over the last five years has been the Foundation’s annual community-based service project. Building on the Foundation’s expertise displayed with the organization and execution of the official registration campaign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Slovakia in 2006, the Foundation now organizes and sponsors an annual in-country community-based service project during the third week of September. In September 2007, the Foundation partnered with Caritas, the charitable arm of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, to provide more than 1,000 hours of volunteer labor and funds sufficient to provide much-needed medical equipment to two elder care facilities and one hospice in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The annual project model helps foster and encourage broad community-level volunteer involvement. More than 130 volunteers from the U.S., the Czech Republic, and Slovakia - primarily members, former-missionaries, and missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - gathered in Ostrava to participate in last year’s service project. A commemorative book documenting this highly-publicized event was prepared and distributed to government, church and Caritas officials. The Foundation’s financial contribution to the Ostrava project helped procure all the needed project-related supplies such as paint, garden tools, equipment rentals, etc., purchase desperately needed medical supplies for Caritas, and provide overnight accommodations and meals to all of the volunteers and families who came to participate in the Ostrava project.
The Toronto Foundation appreciates all those who have lent their time and support. For additional materials or information regarding the Toronto Foundation and its work in the Czech and Slovak Republics, please visit the Toronto Foundation website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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Dear Friends,
We think that we have already let everyone know, but just in case you haven't heard yet, the benefit dinner and auction has been
postponed from the original March 29, 2008 date. The exact date is yet
to be set, but will most likely be in September 2008.
We are very excited about the direction things are going for the fundraiser event and appreciate your understanding and patience with us in regards to the date change. We made the decision to postpone the
event in order to make it larger and to enable some well known people to get involved who will help us promote it.
Thank you for your support and please contact us with any questions about this event.
Sincerely,
Patrick Sedivy
Owen Fuller - 801.427.4352
The Always Remember Foundation
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Dear Friends,
Jan and Katerina Holubovi from Plzen, Jan and Jana Tuckovi from Ceske Budejovice, and Ivo and Ivana Janouskovi from Zlin will be arriving in Salt Lake City on the evening of March 29, 2008. They will be here through April 7. We are so excited to have them with us for General Conference, and thankful for the support of many people who has made their trip possible. Thank you!
The Always Remember Foundation
If you would like to get together with them while they are here, below is a rough outline of their schedule. You're welcome to join them for any of the activities below and to invite them over to your home when it works for you. If you want to accompany them for a full day, or come to the Grand Canyon with us, the more the merrier! To coordinate a visit with them while they're here, send an email to alwaysrememberfoundation@gmail.com or call Owen at 801.427.4352.
March
29. They arrive in the evening and rest.
30. Sacrament meeting in Pleasant Grove. Sight-seeing drive around the area.
31. Visit BYU, MTC, and enjoy an FHE.
April
1. Visit welfare square, museum of family history, temple square, and attend the Salt Lake temple.
2. Vylet to the Grand Canyon. We will stop by Zions on the way there, and sleep at a hotel near the Grand Canyon.
3. We will stop by Bryce Canyon on our way back from the Grand Canyon, and arrive back in Utah County late Thursday evening.
4. A day for another temple visit, shopping, relaxing and visiting with friends in the area.
5. General Conference in Salt Lake City.
6. General Conference in Salt Lake City.
7. A bit more time for visiting friends, and preparing to leave. (they leave late Monday night/Early Tuesday Morning)
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Dobry Den!
We are writing to remind you of the first annual benefit dinner and auction hosted by the Always Remember Foundation. This semi-formal event will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 5:30pm at the Elks Lodge in Provo (1000 S. University Ave.). The evening will include a nice dinner, a special musical performer, a silent auction including a variety of items ranging in price, and a live auction of higher ticket items. Some of the higher ticket items already donated for this event include a wedding gown, autographed pictures of Utah Jazz players, diamond earrings, paintings by Simon Dewey and Liz Lemon Swindle, a family portrait package, a convertible Cadillac, and two new pianos. Our M.C. for the event will be Brooke Walker, host of “Studio 5” on KSL TV. It should be a very enjoyable evening and we hope that you’ll be able to join us.
This fundraising event is intended not only for Czech return missionaries, but for anyone who may be interested in participating. Please invite any family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and business associates who may wish to attend. Tickets for this event are selling quickly, so we encourage you to respond soon to secure seats for you and your guests. Tickets for the evening are $30 each. Please contact Owen Fuller at 801-427-4352 or by email to arrange for your tickets (alwaysrememberfoundation@gmail.com).
All proceeds from the benefit dinner and auction will directly support the projects of the Always Remember Foundation. One of our projects is bringing members of the Church, who otherwise could not afford to come on their own, to Salt Lake City for General Conference. Members who have come through our program have expressed to us how much their testimonies have grown. One member said that his testimony grew more in the 10 days he spent here than in his entire life previous to his stay in SLC. Another project of ours is bringing students from the Czech Republic to Utah for a semester or two of high school. All of the students who have come benefited greatly from our program. Our efforts are also resulting in great relationships with government officials and others. This fundraising event will help us to pursue these and similar projects in an effort to enable returned missionaries, along with their friends and family, to serve and stay connected with the people and country they came to love as missionaries.
We hope to see you for this exciting evening, and wish you the very best.
Sincerely,
The Always Remember Foundation
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Dear Returned Missionaries and Friends,
On Saturday March 29, 2008 The Always Remember Foundation will be holding its first annual benefit dinner and auction. This semi-formal event at the Elks Lodge in Provo will include dinner, a special musical performer, a silent auction and a live auction of an impressive assortment of items and services. We want to send a personal invitation for this event by mail to everyone who is interested in participating. Tickets for the evening are $30 each.
All the proceeds from the event will go to support the projects of The Always Remember Foundation. So far we have brought 10 Czech members to Salt Lake City to experience General Conference and 7 Czech high school students to Utah for a semester of school. This annual benefit dinner and auction will help us to pursue these and similar projects in an effort to enable returned missionaries, along with their friends and family, to serve and stay connnected with the people and country they came to love as missionaries.
If you are interesting in coming, please write to owenfuller@gmail.com by Feb. 6 with your mailing address, along with the address of anyone else who you would like us to send an invitation to. As this fundraising event is not intended to be solely for Czech returned missionaries, please consider anyone who may enjoy the evening, and who may be willing and able to participate. We would be thrilled to send an invitation to anyone you suggest, such as your parents, grandparents, friends, extended family, co-workers, neighbors, business professionals, and associates. Please contact those whom you would like us to invite to let them know the invitation will be coming, and if necessary, to get their mailing address.
We hope to see you there, and thank you in advance for helping us spread the word about this exciting event.
Best regards,
Owen Fuller
801.427.4352
owenfuller@gmail.com
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Dear RMs, live broadcast will be available in Czech and in Slovak of the funeral services for President Gordon B. Hinckley. It will start at 11:00 am and you can find the broadcast link on-line www.lds.org. Petr R.
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I have just received the sadest of news, so brace yourself. Here is the note I received from a friend of his:
My name is Jordan Wilde. I see you are the creator of a group for the Czech Prague Mission. My friend Harrison Matthews served his mission there. I apologize for the bad news if you haven't heard (and if you knew him), but Harrison passed away this afternoon (Jan 16). Could you please let people in your group know (so those who knew him on the mission will know)?
He found out last August that he had leukemia, and had been in treatment since then. I can probably find answers to questions if you have people ask you. Thanks for doing this - I will probably send this message to other admins in the group.
*************************************
I replied and asked him to email me about the funeral. I will let you know what I find out. Let's be sure to pray for the family. This has to be a hard time for all of them.
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Subject Line: Toronto Foundation Announces Continued Support and Partnership with the Nová škola Foundation in Prague
The Toronto Foundation is pleased to announce its continued support and partnership with the Nová škola (New School) Foundation based in Prague, Czech Republic. In addition to its support of the Rozlety after-school mentoring program, the Toronto Foundation made a substantial contribution in December 2007 of textbooks and other reference materials to be used by Nová škola’s students.
Nová škola provides underprivileged children from a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds the additional academic support and encouragement to succeed academically. Most Nová škola students are from the minority Romany community among whom illiteracy and drop-out rates are substantially higher than average in the Czech Republic.
For more information about Nová škola and the sponsorship efforts of the Toronto Foundation please visit the Toronto Foundation’s website at www.torontofoundation.org.
The Toronto Foundation is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah that supports grassroots humanitarian and educational projects in the former Czechoslovakia. Established in March of 2003 by a group of returned missionaries, the Toronto Foundation has funded and sponsored numerous projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics in large part due to the generous tax deductible contributions of its friends and supporters. To learn more about the Toronto Foundation, please visit its website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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Does anybody there know a Laura Cook from North Logan?
I don't know who that lady is, but thanks alot for the sweet christmas package. :-)
If anybody knows who Santa is, then tell 'em thanks and give 'em a big hug!
Thanx.
elder
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Hello everyone. My name is Yana. I am 25. I am the member of Kaliningrad branch, Russia. I am traveling to Prague Jan 5-8, 2008. I have noone in Prague and it will be my 1st time in this beautiful city. I would like to get to know some lds people who know English or Russian. It would be great to share some experiences.
I would love to hear from everyone. Thank you!
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Greetings to you all,
As you may have heard, there are currently six Czech high school students living in the Pleasant Grove, Spanish Fork and Mapleton areas. Overall, it has been an extremely positive experience to have them here. The students are grateful to have the opportunity to improve their English language abilities and to experience American culture, and the families are thankful to have these outstanding students in their homes.
Another group of students is coming over in January, and we are still looking for one more host family. Ideally, the family would be in the Alpine or Nebo School District, but that is not a requirement.
If you or someone you know may be interested in having a Czech high school student staying in their home from Jan. 6 to May 1, please contact me as soon as possible at owen@alwaysrememberfoundation.org.
Often I am asked about the students. They are 14-17 years old, both boys and girls. They are the best students in their respective schools, and go through a rigorous selection process. They communicate ok to very well in English. They are not members of the LDS church, but know that in coming to Utah they will likely be living with a Mormon family. Before they come they agree to abide by a code of conduct that prohibits drinking, smoking, inappropriate relations with the opposite sex, and generally outlines the cultural expectations of typical LDS families.
The families that we consider to be ideal are those who are welcoming, warm, open, financially stable enough to have one more person in their home, and above all, kind.
Again, please let me know if you or someone you know is interested in having a student come at this time.
I will be out of town for the Thanksgiving Holiday, but back over the weekend, so I will gladly get in touch with you then to answer any questions you may have about this program.
Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving,
Owen Fuller
801.427.4352
owen@alwaysrememberfoundation.org
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Elizabeth (Clark) Sewell wrote me to express her thanks for the many missionaries who showed up at BYU Law School for the 14th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. In fact, both she and Jonathon Tichy mentioned how impressed Director Pavla Bendová was with how many that showed up who could speak Czech and Slovak (see my posting on 1 Oct 2007 for more background information).
Elizabeth is with the Czech and Slovak delegation right now in Washington, D.C. for a few more meetings. She needs a Czech or Slovak-speaker in the D.C area who would be willing to take this Saturday (13 October) to help show them the town and take them to the airport. The individual can receive $10 an hour and get expenses reimbursed, which isn't much, but the experience and opportunity are really unique and a great way to serve. If someone is available, please call Elizabeth Sewell at 801-367-3261.
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Feeling a little rusty about the status of religion in the Czech and Slovak Republics? You will get a chance to brush up on the topic next week at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. Next week, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU is hosting its 14th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium.
Of particular note will be a roundtable discussion featuring the highest level delegation that has ever come from the Czech Republic: the Director of the Department of Churches within the Ministry of Culture, Pavla Bendová, as well as Vice Director Jakub Kříž. The Slovak Republic will be represented by Radovan Čikeš from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Planned topics for this session include the role of religion in the two countries; the main church-state issues facing each; the similarities and differences in the approach to church-state policy between the two; the treatment of minority religions; and the power and influence of predominant religions.
The Czech / Slovak roundtable with Ms. Bendová will be moderated by Jonathon Tichy. Jonathon served his mission under President Winder and later returned to work in the United States Embassy in Prague. Today, he practices law and Prince Yeates & Geldzahler in Salt Lake City.
The roundtable will take place on Tuesday, 9 October from 11:15 to 12:30 at the BYU Law School. The session is free and open to the public. (The room for the session will be posted inside the J. Reuben Clark Building on the BYU campus. For a map, please see http://map.byu.edu/.)
It would be wonderful if the audience for this session contained a number of returned missionaries. It would reflect on the Church and on our continued interested in the welfare of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Jonathon plans to open up the discussion to questions from the floor.
It is also interesting to note that another Winder-era missionary, Elizabeth Sewell (née Clark), is the Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU, who is putting on this symposium.
For more information, you can visit the organization’s website: http://www.iclrs.org/
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Hey everyone...
I'm getting tired of the picture on the front page of the site. I'd like to replace it. If you think you have a picture that would be good there just let me know...
Steve Danielson
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Hey everyone,
My name is Collin and I live in Las Vegas Nevada. I recently got my call to Prague and I will be entering the MTC on January 23. Despite my contact name, I am not a sister missionary lol I got confused on what the contact person was.
Anyways, I would love to get feedback from all the returned missionaries (tips, what to expect, how things were, whether to buy winter stuff before or once i get there, ect....).
Any info would be greatly apprciated!
Thanks!
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The Wallace F. Toronto Foundation is pleased to announce its first annual “Czech and Slovak Republic Service Project” and invites you to participate. The inaugural project will prepare the St. Luke Hospice in Ostrava for its grand opening. For months, the foundation has worked hand in hand with “Charita Ostrava” to provide volunteer service and financial backing for the important services they provide the people of the Czech Republic.
The foundation would like to extend a special invitation to you to come to Ostrava and participate with the more than 50 members of the Brno District of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in assisting the St. Luke Hospice. The hospice’s new building has undergone months of remodeling. The charity running the hospice would like our volunteers to paint and clean it in preparation for its grand opening this fall.
The service project will take place on Saturday, 22 September 2007. Aside from organizing volunteers from both sides of the Atlantic, the foundation will assist you with lodging for two nights (a youth hostel will be available for Friday and Saturday nights – 21 to 22 and 22 to 23 September) and with breakfast and lunch during the service project on Saturday.
Please remember that this is the first annual service project. Planning for the 2008 project will begin immediately following the successful completion of the 2007 project. So, if you cannot attend this year, please mark your calendars to come back the Czech and Slovak Republics in mid-September 2008!
If you would like to participate in the 2007 service project, please email the foundation at information@torontofoundation.org and you will receive further details. Also, if you would like to receive information about future service projects, please email the foundation at the same email address.
More information about the St. Luke Hospice in Ostrava, Czech Republic can be found here http://www.ostrava.caritas.cz/showpage.php?name=lukas
The Toronto Foundation is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah that supports grassroots humanitarian and educational projects in the former Czechoslovakia. Established in March of 2003 by a group of returned missionaries, the Toronto Foundation has funded and sponsored numerous projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics in large part due to the generous tax deductible contributions of its friends and supporters. To learn more about the Toronto Foundation, please visit its website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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The Toronto Foundation is pleased to announce its support and recent contribution of funds to the Czech and Slovak Mission Fund. The Fund helps sponsor and pay for LDS missionaries serving from the Czech and Slovak Republics. The Toronto Foundation supports these missionaries and their noble efforts.
The Toronto Foundation is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah that supports grassroots humanitarian and educational projects in the former Czechoslovakia. Established in March of 2003 by a group of returned missionaries, the Toronto Foundation has funded and sponsored numerous projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics in large part due to the generous tax deductible contributions of its friends and supporters. To learn more about the Toronto Foundation, please visit its website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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The Toronto Foundation is please to announce its support and recent contribution of funds to the newly formed Always Remember LLC. Always Remember helped sponsor a visit to Salt Lake City in April by a number of Czech members and friends. The Toronto Foundation supports these efforts and wishes Always Remember the best in their future efforts.
The Toronto Foundation is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah that supports grassroots humanitarian and educational projects in the former Czechoslovakia. Established in March of 2003 by a group of returned missionaries, the Toronto Foundation has funded and sponsored numerous projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics in large part due to the generous tax deductible contributions of its friends and supporters. To learn more about the Toronto Foundation, please visit its website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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In cooperation with the Slovakian Genealogical Society and the Slovakian National Library, the Toronto Foundation helped publish a handbook on family history resources available in Slovakia. The book contains a chapter on the LDS Church's family history program and Slovak genealogic resources authored by Toronto Foundation Board Member Jonathon Tichy. For more on the project and a link to copies of Mr. Tichy’s contribution to the book, please visit the Toronto Foundation’s website at www.torontofoundation.org.
The Toronto Foundation is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah that supports grassroots humanitarian and educational projects in the former Czechoslovakia. Established in March of 2003 by a group of returned missionaries, the Toronto Foundation has funded and sponsored numerous projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics in large part due to the generous tax deductible contributions of its friends and supporters. To learn more about the Toronto Foundation, please visit its website at www.torontofoundation.org.
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