Washington D.C. – The eighth Hungarian Americans Together conference (HATOG VIII) was held September 28-29, in Boston, MA – the first such gathering held in the New England region.

More than 70 representatives from 17 states, plus guests from Hungary attended.

The conference was organized by the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, the Honorary Consulate General of Hungary in Boston, and The Hungary Initiatives Foundation, with support from the Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition). Volunteers of the Körösi Csoma Sándor program and Coalition interns helped at every stage.

Funding for the conference was provided by a generous grant from The Hungary Initiatives Foundation (HIF).

The following participating organizations and their representatives attended the conference:

Tünde Balogh – Bobita Hungarian School, Portland

Tamas Badics – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

William Bero – William Penn Association, Pittsburgh

Nancy Bocskor – Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Washington DC

Erzsébet Bognár  – Boskola, Boston

Edit Mercer – “Csik Hago” Hungarian School of Chicago, Chicago

Erika Bokor – Hungarian Communion of Friends, Chicago

Zsuzsanna Csajkás – South Florida Hungarian Children’s Club, Fort Lauderdale

Orsolya Cseh – Hungarian Club of Georgia, Atlanta

András Cser – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Kata Dobri – Hungarian Cultural Society of Connecticut, Wallingford

Erika Fedor – American Hungarian Heritage House, Washington DC

Olivia Fedor – American Hungarian Heritage House, Washington DC

Stephen Fedor – American Hungarian Heritage House, Washington DC

Tamás Fellegi – Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Washington DC

Miklos Fogarasi, Dr – KMCSSZ, Connecticut

Szilvia Forró – Boskola, Boston

Gyorgy Frendl, Dr – Hungarian Medical Association of America

Chantal Gagnon – KMCSSZ, New York

Gábor Garai – Honorary Consul of Hungary, Boston

Tamas Gemes – Calasanctius Training Program , Buffalo

Szilvia Gilbert – Hungarian Heritage Foundation, San Francisco

Eve-Marie Goggins – HHRF/ReConnect Hungary, New York

Csilla Grauzer – Honorary Consul of Hungary, Minneapolis

Ferenc Gyurcsan – KMCSSZ, Boston

Orsolya Huszar – Calasanctius Training Program, Buffalo

Ildikó Juhász – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Tímea Kerekes –  William Penn Association, Pittsburg

Erika Renáta Klatyik  – Global Friendship Foundation, Sarasota

András Koncz  –  Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Csenge Konkoly – Hungarian American Coalition, Washington DC

Peter Kovalszki – Hungarian Communion of Friends, Michigan

Edith Lauer – Hungarian American Coalition, Cleveland

Andrea Lauer Rice – Hungarian American Coalition, Atlanta

Tamás Marshall – KMCSSZ, New York

Denise Matolcsy – Hungarian Medical Association of America, Boston

Sándor Matolcsy, Dr – Hungarian Medical Association of America, Boston

Mónika Mátyás – Boskola, Boston

József Megyeri – Hungarian Communion of Friends, Chicago

Eszter Mészáros – Minnesota Hungarians, Minneapolis

Zsolt Molnár – Bocskai Radio, Cleveland

Krisztina Nádas – KMCSSZ, Cleveland

Andrea Novák – Hungarian Heritage Foundation, San Francisco

Zsófia Parragh –  Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Washington DC

Elizabeth Perch – Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Washington DC

Mariann Polgár – Boskola, Boston

Adrienn Rezes – KMCSSZ, Boston

Peter Ruppert – Maven 7, Managing partner-CEO

Kinga Sándor – Chicago Hungarian Club, Chicago

Margit Szabari, Dr  – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Gyöngyi Szabó, Dr – Hungarian Medical Association of America, Boston/Worcester

Anna Smith Lacey  – Embassy of Hungary, Washington, DC

Balazs Somogyi, Dr – Hungarian Cultural Society, Connecticut

Noémi Szilágyi – KMCSSZ, Bradenton/Sarasota

Miklos Szocska, Dr – SOTE Health Science Management Training Center

Mátyás Támási – Hungarian American Coalition, Washington DC

Max Teleki – Hungarian American Coalition, Washington DC

Mónika Turek – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Emese Varga – Boskola, Boston

Kinga Vasicsek – KMCSSZ, San Francisco

Janka Veres – Hungarian Communion of Friends, Detroit

Ágnes Virga, Dr. – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Éva E. Voisin – Honorary Consul General of Hungary, San Francisco

Ottó Walter , Dr.  – Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, Boston

Elizabeth Vos – Magyar Marketing

Viktória Zoltán – Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Washington DC

The conference began Saturday with welcome greetings from Mr. Gabor Garai, Honorary Consul General of Hungary in Boston.  Coalition President Maximilian Teleki spoke next, providing an overview of the HAToG conferences and the Coalition’s history and current activities.  Agnes Virga, President of the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, introduced the activities and main achievements of their organization.

The conference’s main program included presentations by Dr. Tamás Fellegi, President of HIF and by Andrea Lauer Rice, Coalition Vice President.  In her remarks, Mrs. Lauer Rice commented on the current make-up of the Hungarian American community and proposed a strategy for reaching out to the newer generations of Hungarian Americans who speak only English.

Participants then attended interactive development sessions focusing on topics such as fundraising and messaging, grant writing and social media. These Sessions were run by Nancy Bocskor, fundraising consultant; Elizabeth Perch, an expert in independent non-profit organization management; and Rachel Levy, digital marketing professional.

On Saturday afternoon, participants attended the Boston Hungarian Harvest Festival, joining 350 other guests to enjoy Hungarian goulash, palinka and pastries, followed by folk music and dance.

On Sunday, the program continued with brainstorming sessions focused on two topics: the Hungarian House Foundation, an ongoing national initiative; and use of social media platforms for communications. Edith Lauer, the Coalition’s Chairman Emerita, moderated the two groups, who shared their conclusions.

In the closing remarks of the conference, Maximilian Teleki thanked the conference organizers, Agnes Virga and Andrea Lauer Rice, and acknowledged the contributions of the presenters and local organizations.

The next HAToG conference, to be held in Florida, is planned for the Spring of 2015.