On behalf of NCOGA and the Board of Directors, I wish you and your families, a very merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. As the year 2010 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the challenges and successes we faced as a community throughout the year.

The year has been quite productive as well as challenging in the history of NCOGA. To begin, we had a very successful Independence celebration and awarded five (5) scholarships to our college bound students. In spite of the low turnout, our annual picnic was equally a success. When we announced earlier in the year the proposed acquisition of the Africa Cultural Center, we had a positive response from the community. There were those who were elated, and others who were less optimistic about the project and were equally less cooperative about the project. Despite these roadblocks, we were able to forge ahead, determined to acquire our own community center as other communities have done and I am to inform the community that with the assistance of Germain Financial Services, NCOGA will be closing the deal on the property at 151 East Tremont very soon and our community would have a place of its own.

Meanwhile, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere gratitude to the following associations that have contributed towards the acquisition of the building: Akyem Association, Ghana Veteran Association, Yankasa Association, Okuapeman Fekuw, Ada Okorbi Akpe, Ghanaian Association of Westchester, Akyem Kotoku and especially the many individuals who have also contributed towards this very important project. A meeting would be scheduled soon to provide detailed updates of the project to investors.

We at NCOGA are very excited about the coming year which, we envisage, has many prospects for our community. We will close the deal for the Africa Cultural Center, celebrate our upcoming Ghana’s 54th Independence celebration with a two part activities: Health Expo on Saturday, March 5, 2011 presented by National African Immigrant Project, which is a Federally funded project, and a Scholarship and Awards night on Saturday, March 12, 2011. Please save these dates and see attached flyer for further details. And also, please pass the information to friends, families and well wishers of our community.

On a somber note, as you enjoy yuletide with your families and loved ones, I urge you to pause to remember those individuals that we lost in our community during the year. May they rest in peace, and may light perpetual shine on them.

Once again, I wish you the joy of the holidays and the very best for the coming year.

Ivy Rose Quarshie

Executive Secretary General