Bethlen Almanac 2000 (Ligonier)
The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America
was responsible for another successful fraternal activity. We also thank the presence of our loyal friends who are equally committed to preserving our Hungarian Culture and Heritage. Michael Pauli, Jr., Chairperson Supporting the Hungarian Athletes going to the 2000 Olympics In the summer of this year, István Benedek, member of Branch 300, Washington, DC, and a former Olympian, asked the branch officers to help him in his efforts to raise some of the much needed funds for the Hungarian athletes going to the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He offered his farm, Camp Olympic also known as Benedek Farm, if we decided to have a picnic as a fundraising event, and said that if we scheduled it for July, Tamas Damyi, Honor Swimmer and 4-time Olympic Gold Medallist, could be present. We accepted the idea to help enthusiastically, and decided on a picnic to be held on Sunday, July 2, 2000. Since we did not have too much time on our hands, we immediately put our heads together to start organizing the event. When the day finally arrived, we thanked God for the nice weather because the summer was very unpredictable this year in the Washington area. Members, friends and families with many children arrived in large numbers. We were all in a good mood and very happy to be partakers in such a significant cause. Our friends Rainer, Erzsébet and their family members served the delicious food and beverages, which they generously donated for the event. All in all we were able to raise $2,000 for the Hungarian Athletes on this beautiful and memorable afternoon. We were also very pleased to receive the Hungarian Olympic Committee’s letter addressed to our Branch President Rev. Imre Bertalan acknowledging our support: MAGYAR OLIMPIAI BIZOTTSÁG H-1118 Budapest, Balogh Tihamér utca 4, Tisztelt Bertalan Úr! A Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság nevében szeretném megköszönni Önnek és mindazoknak, akik adományukkal hozzájárulták a magyar olimpiai csapat sikeres szereplését elősegitő támogatásukkal. Reméljük, hogy amikor a XXVII. Nyári Olimpiai 21
