In a modest ceremony, with a strong attendance of Tala residents and representatives of various organized groups within the village, the Community Council of Tala honoured community benefactor, Sotirios Hadjimena, earlier this month, thanking him for all he has offered so far to the village and its people.
Thanking the Cypriot benefactor, who keeps a property in Kamares, the President of the Community Council of Tala, Areti Pieridou, revealed that for years Mr. Hadjimena had provided financial and other assistance to the community, working quietly, privately and with little or no publicity. Among other things, Sotiris Hadjimena had economically assisted the local Community Welfare Centre, equipping the centre, and funding the cost of the employee and maintenance costs there. Further, he had contributed to the daily lunch for the needy pupils at the elementary and kindergarten schools in the village and supplemented the funding provided by the Ministry of Education.
The ceremony in the village was to recognise the contribution made by Mr Hadjimena and to publicly thank him for funding the cost of preparation of architectural plans for the proposed multi-cultural centre on the site of the old mill close to Tala Square.
The multi-cultural centre is needed as there are many nationalities in Tala and the centre will provide a meeting place for the various associations and clubs, and a centre for local artists. It is hoped that the centre will help the integration of the many different cultures in the village.
Mr Hadjimena, who lives in Zurich, stressed in a brief address that the aim of his assistance in Tala is to assist a village which has a very dear place in his heart, and that any help is not done for publicity or self-gratification. "I offered and will continue to offer without wanting publicity or recognition," he said.