Empathy is 10 years old!
We celebrated the 10th anniversary of our association with a magnificent ball at Teymur Hotel. Distinguished members of the protocol, Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül and Mrs. Gülden Gül, Dutch Ambassador to Türkiye Marjanne De Kwaasteniet and her husband, Gaziantep Provincial Gendarme Commander Senior Colonel Halil Uysal and his wife, Gaziantep Provincial Police Director Faruk Karaduman and his wife, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Oya Alpay and her husband, Deputy Mayor of Gaziantep Şehitkamil Municipality Ceyda Gursel honored us by their attendance.
Our 10th anniversary ball started with the beautiful pieces of the Flipper Swing Jazz band.
In her opening speech, Empathy Social Responsibility and Education Association Chairwoman Hale Konukoğlu said, “When we set out 10 years ago believing that every educated woman has an obligation to the Republic, all we knew was how to serve our city and we met under the umbrella of Empathy with this sense of responsibility,” and further talked about the projects that have been carried out for 10 years as an association. Konukoğlu continued her speech with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s words, “There is a straighter and more secure path for us to follow: It is to have Turkish women as our partners in everything,” and said, “With the strength we derive from this principle, we will continue to produce participatory, open to sharing, solution-oriented projects for a bright future, and to raise individuals who adhere to the principles of the Republic and Atatürk.” Konukoğlu thanked all our benefactors and their spouses who have not left us alone for 10 years.
Founding Chairwoman of Empathy Social Responsibility and Education Association Pınar Topçuoğlu said, “A total of 2,200 students continue their education at Şehitkamil and Şahinbey Empathy Primary Schools with 32 and 48 classrooms. That is the very outcome of our hard work of 10 years and makes us very proud”.
She concluded her speech by announcing that Kaan Baydemir, a 3rd grade student at Şehitkamil Empathy Primary School became the European champion in the piano category among 16 countries and 50 competitors in the Baden Württemberg Competition held in Germany.
Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül took the floor and said, “We have seen in the promotional videos and bulletins what they have been doing for 10 years in this association founded by the strong-at-heart-and-mind women of Gaziantep. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who contributed.”
Following speeches, plaques of appreciation were presented to the companies and organizations that supported us as sponsors in our events we have held so far.
Gaziantep Governor Davut Gül presented their plaques to Hakan Konukoğlu on behalf of Sanko Holding, Vedat Topcuoğlu on behalf of Gülsan Holding and to Uğur Şireci and Halit Acar on behalf of Iconova.
Gaziantep Provincial Gendarme Commander Senior Colonel Halil Uysal presented their plaques to Cengiz Konukoğlu on behalf of TEB, Garanti BBVA and Akbank, and to Hamza Acar on behalf of Audi Acarsan.
Gaziantep Provincial Police Director Faruk Karaduman presented their plaques to Naci Topçuoğlu on behalf of Dap Construction, İst-Life, to Dinçer Uğurluer on behalf of Nurus Gaziantep, and to Alican Yılankırkan on behalf of İmam Kayalı Oğulları Holding.
Dutch Ambassador to Türkiye Marjanne De Kwaasteniet presented their plaques to Melike Ersoy Yüksel on behalf of Torkut Packaging, to Beril Özlem Leylek on behalf of Mesoest, and to Ercüment Erdoğan on behalf of Mac Sanko Park.
Founding Chairwoman of Empathy Social Responsibility and Education Association Pınar Topcuoğlu presented their plaques to Oya Alpay on behalf of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, and to Ceyda Gürsel on behalf of Gaziantep Şehitkamil Municipality.
Empathy Social Responsibility and Education Association Chairwoman Hale Konukoğlu presented their plaques to Niyazi Büyükaksu on behalf of Sanko Park Mall, to Mehmet Tosunoğlu on behalf of By Mehmet Organization, and to Kenan Açıkgöz on behalf of Thinkbig Creative.
The 10th anniversary ball continued with Burak Kut taking stage with his songs each more beautiful than the other. He joined us in cutting the 10th anniversary cake while singing the Tenth Year Anthem with all out members of the association.
At the end of the ball, Empathy Social Responsibility and Education Association Chairwoman Hale Konukoğlu thanked the esteemed musician Burak Kut, who joined us free of charge to support our association, and presented him with his gifts.
We would like to thank our esteemed protocol, education volunteers and friends who joined us tonight in celebration of our 10th anniversary. Happy 10 years, happy birthday Empathy!