Iranians have been immigrating to Canada, and particularly the Greater Toronto Area, for many decades now but never before has the need for a centre dedicated to this unique community been more keenly felt. For the past number of years, Iranian-Canadians have been working hard to realize their goal of establishing a safe, comfortable and welcoming space for the fragmented Iranian population to come together and gather as a new and more united community.
Parya Trillium has grown out of the frustration that many Iranian-Canadians have felt at seeing their aging parents become more and more isolated and withdrawn due to the lack of Persian-language activities and services available to them. In 2000, the founder of Parya Trillium Foundation, Mr. Ahmad Reza Tabrizi, along with co-founders Mrs. Zarrin Mohyeddin and Dr. Fahimeh Mortazavi decided to work together in order to establish a facility to provide culturally appropriate, Persian-language services to the Iranian-Canadian community, particularly seniors. They visited many multicultural community organizations in order to get an idea of the kinds of programs and services being provided in the GTA and to better develop their own long-term goals. Their vision received much recognition and praise within the Iranian community and quickly gained many supporters in the GTA.
In 2002, after much consultation with members of the Iranian-Canadian community, similar ethno-cultural community groups, and with the federal government, Parya Trillium Foundation officially became an incorporated and registered non-profit. Shortly afterwards, a board of directors was selected and the work of Parya Trillium Foundation began in earnest. Since then, many people have donated both their time and money to ensure that we continue to offer quality, culturally appropriate services to Iranian-Canadians in the GTA.
Today, Parya Trillium Foundation is a dynamic and vibrant community centre. A recent donation by Liberty Development Corp. has provided us with a large, multi-purpose facility where we are currently running a number of programs and services for the community at large. Our dedicated staff and enthusiastic volunteers are striving to ensure that the visions of our founders, as well as all the needs of the Iranian-Canadian community are met. Together, we are committed to empowering the Iranian-Canadian community and to ensuring that all Iranians in the GTA feel they have somewhere to go to access excellent services, to interact with their peers and ultimately become active citizens of their new home.
