Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Although it was not possible for me to be in Tirana this evening I wanted to send a short celebratory note of thanks and congratulations on the ribbon cutting at the Martin & Mirash Ivanaj Foundation Institute of Tirana.

If I were there I would first of all like to thank and express my sincere gratitude to all of you who helped the Foundation reach this landmark goal.  No matter how small or great your contribution or personal effort, without it we would not be here this evening.

I would also like to personally thank Drita Ivanaj for her vision, commitment and hard work that have made this great evening and this wonderful Institute possible.  I met Drita 30 years ago in New York City and knew at once that here is someone I can learn from.  Little did I know at the time that it would mean learning about industriousness, a focus that never loses sight of final goals and an ongoing private tutorial on the Ivanaj family and the great country of Albania.  Thank you Drita for this.

In closing it is my sincere wish that the Institute with its Cultural Center’s facilities will encourage Albanians everywhere to see the greatness of your historical and cultural inheritance and specially shed light for Albanian youth on the potential of a prosperous global future.

 

JOHN LENZI

Vice President

The Martin and Mirash Ivanaj Foundation

New York

October 10, 2017

 

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