An evening of celebration was organized on December 14, 2019 at the Hikmet Şimşek Arts Center.

An evening of celebration was organized on December 14, 2019 at the Hikmet Şimşek Arts Center. The Izmir Branch of the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life (ÇYDD) presented plaques to its members that helped establish the branch and served for 25 years. World renowned conductor İbrahim Yazıcı, together with his students Adil Kerem Ünal and Damla Ece Karataş, gave a piano recital. ÇYDD Vice President Nur Gerçel and the Izmir Branch President Onur Ertürkan spoke at the opening of the evening and Gülen Ertuğ was the presenter.

The Branch President Onur Ertürkan explained that the Association celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019.  President Ertürkan continued on to say that 2019 was also the 25th year of the Izmir branch.  These celebrations coincided with the 100th anniversary of May 19, 1919, the date when Mustafa Kemal and his friends started the enlightenment of Anatolia, thus making the celebrations even more meaningful. Ertürkan said, “As the Izmir Branch, we are going to continue to honor the values we put forward together with our volunteers and our youth.

Ertürkan told the gathering that they had arranged for the evening to be on the anniversary of the birthdays of two very special people for the Association, namely Türkan Saylan and Türkel Minibaş. Ertürkan said, “This evening is not only the 25th anniversary of our work but also the beginning of a new quarter of century.”