Canadian Lebanese Association of P.E.I. officially opens its first home

A Lebanese community group on the Island officially opened the doors to its new community centre today — the realization of more than four decades of work.

To have a building of its own has been a goal of the Canadian Lebanese Association of P.E.I. since it was founded in 1963.

Association president Fadi Rashed said Sunday that until now the group has held events like its annual Lebanese levee anywhere it could find the space.

"It was just about community," he said. "It didn't matter where we were, as long as we were together. We want to make sure this next generation, our kids, grow up knowing that family's important, your community's important."  

Decades of fundraising 

A hand-carved cedar sign mounted on the building to welcome guests was unveiled at the opening. It was donated by Nick Tweel, one of the association's directors, in memory of his father.

More than $200,000 was raised for the building over decades.

Rashed said the building on Upper Prince Street can hold between 70 and 100 people and is open for rentals for anybody, not just the Lebanese community.

'You couldn't ask for a better place'

At the same time, he hopes that the building will bring some of the Island's 500 Lebanese families closer together.

Rashed said it's amazing to complete a project the association has dreamed about for decades.

"Most of our families moved here to get away from what was happening in the Middle East — wars and stuff like that," he said. "They wanted to give their families an opportunity to prosper, and Canada's amazing. You couldn't ask for a better place to live and raise our families and be Canadian.

"At the same time you want to be able to hold on to a piece of your heritage and never forget where you came from and who your parents were and why they fought so hard to give you a life that you could prosper in."