President
Zaman Ali
Leads the executive, represents GCCA Calgary in the community, and sets direction for the year's programming.
Keeping Guyanese heritage alive in Calgary.
We bring Guyanese Canadians together through culture, community programs, celebrations, and meaningful connections across generations.
Who We Are
GCCA Calgary is a welcoming home for Guyanese people, families, and friends across the city.
We create opportunities to celebrate our roots, support one another, and share Guyana's vibrant traditions with the wider Calgary community.
Our Mission
To preserve Guyanese heritage, strengthen community, and create a lasting sense of belonging.
Community
Heritage
Belonging
From Guyana to Calgary
Rooted in Guyana
Six peoples, one flag, and a culture built on sharing what you have.
Journey to Canada
Families arriving with recipes, records, and a determination to make it work.
Building in Calgary
Kitchen-table gatherings that grew into a city-wide association.
Stronger Together
A community that shows up — for celebrations and for each other.
It started the way most things Guyanese do — around a pot and a table.
A handful of Guyanese families in Calgary wanted their children to know Independence Day as more than a date on a calendar. So they cooked, they invited neighbours, and they made room. What started as a few households marking May 26th together became a standing invitation to anyone who calls Guyana home.
The association was founded on 25 April 1991. More than three decades on, GCCA Calgary is still a volunteer-run society with an elected executive, a year-round calendar, and a mandate that has not changed since that first gathering: keep the culture alive, and keep the door open.
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The first gatherings
Guyanese families in Calgary begin meeting to mark Independence Day, Mashramani and Christmas the way they were marked back home.
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Founded — 25 April 1991
Informal potlucks are formalized into the Guyana Canada Cultural Association (Calgary), with an elected executive, by-laws, and a proper calendar.
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Opening the doors wider
Programming grows to include youth and sports, entertainment, and partnerships with the wider Caribbean and Calgary community.
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Where we are now
Cultural celebrations, family programming, and a network that helps newcomers land on their feet in a new city.
The volunteers who make it happen.
Every member of the GCCA Calgary executive serves on a volunteer basis, alongside jobs, studies and families of their own.
Mark DeFreitas
Vice President, Public Relations
Keon Luther
Treasurer
Lorlene Taljit-Goodluck
Secretary
Joyce Narine
Assistant Secretary / Treasurer
Kirsten DeFreitas
Director of Cultural & Community Affairs
Noelma Nascimento
Director of Entertainment
Theresa Bonar
Director of Youth & Sports
Terry DeFreitas
Director of Youth & Sports
Chandie LeClair
Member-at-Large
Mezaun Evin
Member-at-Large
How the association is run.
GCCA Calgary is a member-run society. The executive is elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting, and the by-laws set out how everything from meetings to elections works.
- Registered name
- Guyana Canada Cultural Association (Calgary)
- Founded
- 25 April 1991
- Status
- Active non-profit society
- Mailing address
- PO Box 47115, RPO Creekside
Calgary, AB T3P 0B9
Our by-laws
The by-laws cover membership categories and rights, the duties of the executive, how general meetings are called, and how elections are run.
Version September 2012, as amended 15 June 2013.
The fastest way to know what's happening.
Photos, event announcements and last-minute changes go up on social first. Give us a follow and tag us in your pictures from the day.
Send us a message.
Membership, volunteering, sponsorship, or a question about an event — this reaches the executive directly.
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- Email
- gccacalgary@gmail.com
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- Mailing address
- PO Box 47115, RPO Creekside
Calgary, AB T3P 0B9 -
- Where we gather
- Venues across Calgary, Alberta