WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO REACH EVERY STUDENt?
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We are grateful for all the resources that have come in for the Expanding Our Reach Capital Campaign this far. You can see the progress reflected in the diagram below. However, we still have significant costs to take the steps necessary to reach every international student. To that end, we are excited to announce a DOUBLE YOUR DOLLAR CAMPAIGN. All donations through December 31 will be matched, up to $50,000!
In 2019, we took the risk of expanding our programs to international students beyond the Chinese community. Within one school year, we had students from over 50 different nations attending our programs and events. This number is continuing to increase! In order to reflect this transition, we have changed our branding and name to The Hospitality Center, a change that you will see across all of our communication platforms. We are also getting excited to open our second location on the East Bank UMN campus this fall. Since January, our executive Director Tim Grunditz, and a team of tireless volunteers and staff have worked hard to renovate the new space. We are getting very close to occupancy! You can follow the weekly progress on our Facebook page at, fb.com/thehospitalitycentermn. We need your partnership as we move through the three stages of our Campaign: Solidifying our St. Paul Center, East Bank Expansion and Program Expansion. With all hands on deck, we are confident that we can grow to reach all 10,000 international students in the Twin Cities with genuine love and hospitality! 
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33 COUNTRIES ATTENDED THIS YEAR’S PICNIC
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The 2021 Welcome Picnic on August 28th was truly an international event! We secured an excellent location on the front lawn of Coffman Student Union, near our soon-to-be-open second location on the East Bank. Our international student interns assisted in planning the event and submitting our grant proposal to the U of M.
The picnic was a great way to introduce new students to The Hospitality Center and the programs we offer. We enjoyed delicious international foods, games, live music, prizes, and gave away more than 200 welcome kits. To celebrate the different ethnic backgrounds of the students, we offered foods from China, India, and the Middle East, as well as watermelon—perfect for a hot day. The games at the picnic made for a memorable time, highlights included human foosball, tug-of-war, and a watermelon eating contest! The talented live band also had multicultural members representing Ghana, Brazil, Mexico, and Lebanon. We were thrilled to be able to give away $1000 in prizes that were sponsored by student apartment buildings and by our international student ministry partners. Thanks to all the volunteers and dedicated donors who contributed to making this wonderful event truly welcoming for all! |
Arrival Season Report:
Record Airport Pick-Ups
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By: Kim Sollie, Volunteer DIrector
At the beginning of August, I wondered how many requests we would get for airport pickups. The Coronavirus Delta variant had become the new glitch in life returning to normal and we were receiving mixed reports about how many student visas were being issued by the U.S. government. On August 5th, it was like a fire hose opened and requests began pouring in daily, sometimes at the rate of 8, 14, or even 20 requests per day! An amazing team of forty-three drivers stepped up to the plate and responded. As soon as I sent out the updated requests, they responded immediately and we often had only a 1-2 day turnaround. One night, a group of eleven students arrived near midnight and three volunteers met them, loaded the luggage into vehicles, and delivered them to their housing destinations. The excitement of new students arriving gave us energy and it became a bit of a challenge to see what we could accomplish. Well, accomplish something we did! The final count added up to 235 airport pickups. A huge thank you to all who extended a warm welcome to the newly arriving international students! |
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Join the Mission:
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Program Expansion:
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NEW BRAND - NEW LOCATION - NEW STUDENTS
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By: Nick Li, Program Director
Seeing the outcome of our arrival season is inspiring to me as I look forward to this upcoming school year and see advancements towards the Expanding Our Reach Capital Campaign. I have built relationships with twelve student apartment buildings, who now play a huge role in the promotion of our resources. Just this year, we provided rides from the airport for 235 students and delivered free furniture to 43 individuals. Our annual Welcome Picnic was also an incredible success, despite the pandemic and our first time location on the East Bank. Over 200 new students from 33 different countries attended the picnic. I took a moment that day to step back and observed how everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy being in the presence of one another. That type of authentic community is why we are here! The Hospitality Center exists to bring people together and to celebrate our unique cultures. We live in a pivotal time in our society where extremists are trying to tear people apart based on religion, race, or culture. We want to be difference makers - not tearing things apart, but rather building together. Our new location on the East Bank will play a strategic role in our plans to provide more programs for students from many different countries. The new building is only one light rail station away from campus and surrounded by student apartments. It is being built with amenities to host friendship meals, game nights, and our warehouse so we will be able to reach all 10,000 international students in the Twin Cities! |