Science Talent Contest
In the year 2008, the school conducted a Science Contest among our school students. In this contest, the students were requested to make a model car with simple household items and make it travel as much distance as possible to win the contest. It was very well executed by our students and appreciated by the parents. It was also shown on our community television, Tamil Vision Inc. (TVI), as well.
Parents Day
It is a unique day of celebration at our schools to educate our children and make them feel proud of the richest values of our unique culture. A notable lesson students take from this event is the happiness in having long lasting close family bonding and in getting the blessing of our parents each and every day.
“Thai Ponkal” and New Year Celebrations
Each and every year we celebrate Thamils’ most popular cultural events, namely, “Thai Ponkal” and Thamil New year in April.
Summer Picnics
In an effort to increase our social bondage, our community members get-together, share our foods, have fun as family members while our children make their friendship even stronger with their fellow Thamil Brothers and Sisters. These types of events make our people feel stronger attachment to our community, while maintaining the cordial relationship with our non-Thamil Canadian friends.
Invited the Indian Singer S. Janaki
In 2006, our organization proudly invited the most popular South Indian Cinema Playback singer, “Isai Kuyil”, S. Janaki to Waterloo for an event that made our community members to take a plunge into ultimate happiness in meeting her in person and listening to her live to sing the popular Thamil song "Singaara Velanae" from the Thamil movie "Konjum Salangai".
Thamil Canadians’ Locally Produced Movie Screening
In an effort encourage the talents and initiatives of our Thamil Canadain actors, actresses and producers, we have screened many Thamil movies in Waterloo which have been produced by our fellow Thamil Canadians from Toronto. Some of them are; “Canadian”, “Iniyavarkal”, “Kathiroli” etc. to name a few.
Produced and Directed many Thamil TV shows
Our School has produced and directed many TV shows for our community TV called “Tamil Vision Inc.” (TVI). All these shows have showcased the talents of our Children in Waterloo and Guelph region to the rest of our thamil community living all over Canada, Middle east and Europe via TVI-on-Demand as well.
Some of key plays directed and produced by our school are:
பட்டி மன்றம்:
மெல்லத் தமிழ் இங்கே மேன்மை பெற வேண்டியது பிள்ளைகளின் ஆர்வமா? அல்லது பெற்றோரின் ஊக்கமா? - April-2005
நாடகம்:
தலை வணங்காத் தமிழ் - April-2006
நாடகம்:
பூந்தோட்டம் - 2008
கவி அரங்கம்:
இனி ஒரு பொங்கல் செய்வோம் - January-2008
கவி அரங்கம்:
ஈழமே சுவாசமாய் - November-2009
நாடகம்:
யேசு பாலன் பிறப்பு – December-2008
Tsunami Relief Fundraiser
On Sunday December 26, 2004, when Tsunami devastated the life of tens of thousands of families in Sri Lanka, mostly in the North and East, our children got into immediate action to help those families. They tirelessly knocked each and every door in the neighborhood and collected $16, 586 in one week. Together with the donation from our community members and non-Thamil Canadians, we collected more than $25, 000 and sent it to the affected people directly without any overhead or administration fees for distribution so that each and every penny collected reached the people in need.
Thamil Children Education Project (TCEP)
In 2006, with the suggestions of a few Waterloo region and Guelph concerned thamils, a project aimed to help students from the under-developed areas of Northern, Eastern and Central regions of Sri Lanka was brainstormed. Following enormous enthusiasm and support from many in the region, efforts began in the latter part of 2005 to organize a project called ‘Thamil Children Education Project (TCEP)’ with the following initial mission objective.
With a monthly affordable contribution from each supporting family, schools from the North and East to be supported to begin with this project. The selected schools would receive Rs 100,000 per year. This grant would be used for the children’s clothing, notebooks etc. and for other necessary educational resources for the classrooms.
After the completion of our very first phase of the project, it was crystal clear that, this venture definitely satisfied our community member’s soul desire to help our brethren in a meaningful way that we as individuals may not be able to accomplish. With the overwhelming support of our fellow Thamil community members in our region, now, after five years of continuous service, we have proudly provided our support to 1707 needy students in many schools in the North and East and still continuing.
Since the inception of this project, the following are list of schools that we humbly extended our helping hands to.
1) Ootuppulam Government Tamil Mixed Vidyalayam – Ootuppulam-Kilinochchi – 2006-2007
2) Iluppadichenai Government Tamil Mixed School – Chenkalady-Batticaloa- 2006-2007
3) Ootuppulam Government Tamil Mixed Vidyalayam – Ootuppulam-Kilinochchi – 2007-2008
4) Iluppadichenai Government Tamil Mixed School – Chenkalady-Batticaloa- 2007-2008
5) Thalawai Vigneswara Vidyalayam – Chenkalady – Batiicaloa -2010
6) Vivekananda Girls’ Maha Vidyalayam – Kallady – Batticaloa – 2011 -500 students
Post May 2009- Life Rebuilding Support
As know by the world, after May 2009 gruesome war in Sri Lanka, thousand of Thamil families lived in Wanni area of Northern Sri Lanka were left with absolutely nothing for their life. Realizing the helplessness of our Brothers and Sisters, our organization has initiated a project to support as many families as we possibly can. In this project, our members generously contributed a total of $2000 and we have supported 24 families in Kilinochchi city to rebuild their life from the ashes of the war.
Protest Against the Killing of Innocent Thamils in Sri Lanka
One Canadian winter morning on Saturday January 31, 2009, we, all concerned Thamils of Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Cambridge, in Unity, have staged a Peaceful Protest in front of the Kitchener City Hall (200 King Street West) against the Mass killings of our Brothers and Sisters in wanni, Sri Lanka. In this demonstration we have requested our Canadian Government to intervene immediately and save the lives of innocent Thamils being killed in thousands everyday.
A Note Worthy : Even with the bone chilling weather (-25 Degree Celsius) of that day, our children were standing outside and holding placards.
Candle Light Vigil and Silent Protest
After the war in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009, on Friday May 22, 2009, KWGC concerned Thamils staged a Candle Light Vigil and Silent Protest, in front of the Kitchener city hall (200 King Street West) against the atrocities committed against Thamils in Sri Lanka and to express our deep disappointment over our Canadian Governments’ inaction during the war to force the Sri Lankan Government to protect the lives of innocent Thamils or lack of interest in taking strong action against Sri Lankan Government to allow international medias and aid agencies including UN.
“Mullivaaikkaal” Massacre Remembrance Day
On May 19, 2010, we lit the candles and commemorated, remembered and respected thousands of our Vanished voices who were brutally killed in the war that ended on May 19, 2009 at “Mullivaaikkaal”, Vanni, Thamil Eelam.
Annual KWGC Community Dinner
On Saturday, May 29, 2010, our community members got-together for a dinner at Sheraton hotel in Cambridge with entertainment provided by our children and adults. This event was planned as break for our people after a year and a half of pain, agony and suffering from the effect of the war in Wanni Thamil Eelam.
Since it was very well appreciated by all members attended, it was decided to have it as an annual event. As the result, we are celebrating today’s event as our second annual community dinner.
Fund-Raiser for Grand River Hospital Cancer Center
Our association has organized a Fund-raiser event on May 29, 2010, in parallel to our annual dinner event, in support of our Grand River Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Centre. In this initiative, our members have generously donated the total sum of $635 and we have received the following comment from the Grand River Hospital Foundation;
“Please accept my personal, heartfelt thanks for organizing such a wonderful event. You have helped make a tremendous difference in the lives of our patients and the ability of our staff to conduct their life saving diagnostic and treatment work” -Kristopher Cates-Bristol (Development officer GRHF).
Blood Donation
The Thamil Heritage School of Waterloo Region and Guelph has proudly organized and successfully completed Three Blood Donor Parties jointly with the Canadian Blood services. In this way we have saved the life of many Brothers and Sisters in this country of kindness which embraced us with respect and gave us the Prosperity and Peacefulness.
The three blood donations took place on the following dates and locations:
First: January 20, 2006 @ 94 Bridgeport Rd., Waterloo.
Second: July 25, 2009 @ 94 Bridgeport Rd., Waterloo.
Third: August 28, 2010 @ 130 Silvercreek Parkway North, Guelph.
Thamils’ Awareness Gathering
When the war in Sri Lanka was moving towards its final stages and the sufferings of innocent Thamils were reaching towards unimaginable heights, in order to bring an awareness among our non-Thamil Canadians and our elected political representatives from the KWCG region about the mounting Humanitarian Crisis in Wanni, all concerned Thamils from this region organized an awareness gathering in Guelph on April 25, 2009. This event was attended by large number our community members who were very concerned about the prevailing war situation and suffering of our brothers and sisters in Wanni. More notably, this event was also attended by the MP for Kitchener-Centre, Mr. Stephen Woodworth who not only listened to our concerns raised during this event but also assured the audience that he was going to take up this matter with concerned authorities in Ottawa. Towards fulfilling the promise he made during this gathering, Mr. Woodworth read a statement in the Canadian parliament on May 5, 2009 about the situation Thamils
facing during the war in Sri Lanka. As a result of this event, concerned KWCG Thamils have developed a close interaction with the elected representatives from the KWCG region in order to voice our concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka after the war ended in May 2009.
Town Hall Meeting on the Relief Efforts for Thamil IDPs
On October 3, 2009, Thamil Heritage School jointly with the local chapter of Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) in our region organized a Town Hall meeting to discuss the Humanitarian Crisis in Wanni that ensued following the war came to end in May 2009, and to find out more ways to offer help from the KWCG Thamil community to our Thamil brothers and sisters who were under going immense suffering after the war. In this town hall meeting, IMHO (International Medical Health Organization) Canada for the first time in KWCG region gave a presentation about their mission and the medical relief activities undertaken by them in Wanni at that time. Our community members who attended this town hall meeting in large numbers donated generously to IMHO Canada towards helping our Thamil brothers and sisters in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
