NYS Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj will be welcoming Albanian National Soccer Team Player and Pride, Lorik Cana in a meet and greet with adolescent admirers in Illyria Clinic at the NYC Health + Hospitals/
Bronx. NY – NYS Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj will be welcoming Albanian National Team Player, Lorik Cana on Friday, May 26, 2017 at 4pm, to meet with adolescents admirers in the Illyria Clinic, Building 1, 4th Fl. Jacobi CEO Chris Mastromano will also be on hand to greet Mr. Cana.
“We take pride in Illyria Clinic, an outpatient clinic established by Jacobi in the summer of 2000, in an effort to help new immigrants and refugees from the war in Kosova and the Balkans. The health issues that face immigrants are similar to those faced by the general population, but are often magnified by the lack of health insurance, language gaps and so many more.” says Assemblyman Gjonaj.
“During the first six years Illyria’s pediatricians saw large numbers of reserved, shy, and traumatized children who even feared entering new schools. Their new schoolmates came from lands that were simply unknown. We tried to persuade the kids to make friends by joining the sports teams. Soon enough the Albanians with their advanced soccer skills, joined the Hondurans, Mexicans, Africans and others, in the fields and schools. We owe this in great part to the unwitting mentorship of players like Lorik Cana.” says Dr. Alan Ross of Illyria Clinic.
Lorik Cana an inspiration to so many young adults, made his international football debut at the age of 19. After playing in top divisions in France, England, Italy, and Turkey, he came back to lead the Albanian National Team in its first major international competition, the 2016 UEFA European Championship.
The Kosova American Education Fund (KAEF), an education group established by American Councils for International Education, has invited Cana to the US. KAEF provides fellowships to promising Kosovars to attend top-level graduate studies at U.S. universities.
For more information contact Vera Mjeku at 914-309-9757.