The Regional Director for communities visited the "Amigos da Terceira" Association in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where she participated in the tribute paid to the veterans of all wars.

At this event, which was attended by local and state politicians, U.S. officers and a large group of Portuguese Overseas War veterans, Graça Castanho stressed the importance of honouring the men and women who have given their lives for country, however she considered "that we must invest in building a better world, where the value of human life, the respect for others, peace and security surpass conflicts and wars."

The message conveyed by the Regional Director for Communities has even "greater significance" as it was precisely passed during the course of two events that gathered hundreds of people to pay tribute to war veterans and, simultaneously, to raise funds for the "Best Buddies" programme which, through youth volunteering, develops activities to support people with disabilities. For Graça Castanho, "this is the best context for my words, because the past is represented here, from which we can draw lessons for the future."

The "Amigos da Terceira" association has 800 members and a large group of volunteers who develop an important activity in the community.

The Director of Regional Communities is in the United States to participate in the International Symposium on Human Rights and Quality of Life in the Portuguese speaking communities residing in the U.S. and Canada, an initiative organised by the Government of the Azores. During this event, the government official launch the "Ao Colo da Língua Portuguesa" (On the Lap of Portuguese) programme at the House of the Azores of New England.

At the symposium, which gathered parents, teachers and many youngsters, Graça Catanho explained the purposes of the project and the "importance of speaking the language of communication used by 250 million people," noting, in fact, that "teaching Portuguese at home to younger generations, who are English speakers, is to grant them a better future and a tool that will facilitate the learning of another European language which is one of the most spoken in the world - Spanish."

According to the Regional Director for Communities, "children, while being able to express themselves in English, Portuguese and Spanish, may communicate with over a half of the world's population, which is an advantage in securing better conditions for their personal and professional fulfilment in the global world."

In the context of the activities and contacts to be developed among the Azorean communities residing in the East Coast of the USA, the Regional Director also met with Sheriff Thomas Hodgson.