Vol. 8, No. 8 December 2018
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IISTL Holiday Bazaar is Great Success
Highlighting the entrepreneurship of our clients 
Shopper checks out a special purchase from one of the many holiday bazaar vendors. Wayne Crosslin/International Institute.
The International Institute Holiday Bazaar boasted the largest ever crowd of visitors as hundreds milled about on Dec. 1 & 2, purchasing handmade tie-dyed scarves, jewelry, knitted items, and much more. The fourth annual event featured eight clients of the Institute's economic development program among the 22 vendors. Thanks to the Institute's Young Friends and Renewal by Andersen, the event sponsor. 

Alwan Wafaa of Iraq shows off her jewelry. Wayne Crosslin/International Institute.
Immigrants Celebrate Thanksgiving
Sharing a meal of welcome and remembrance
Board members Alice Tharenos and Amit Shah (in middle) serve holiday dinner to Institute guests. Wayne Crosslin/International Institute.
More than 300 new St. Louisans of many nations, volunteers and staff of the International Institute gathered to celebrate an all American holiday - Thanksgiving. The annual dinner is provided with underwriting support from Enterprise Holdings and Busey Bank. 

Special guests were invited to assist ESOL instructors with several counting games in which students participated. Here (from left) Vin Ko of the St. Louis Mosaic Project and Alderwoman Annie Rice count nuts to determine which student guessed most accurately. Wayne Crosslin/International Institute.
St. Louis Leaders Present at Berlin Conference
Strengthening inter-country collaborations to integrate immigrants
Paul Costigan and Elizabeth Pickard shared learnings to connect welcoming programs in St. Louis and abroad. 
On November 12-14, three St. Louis emerging leaders traveled to Berlin, Germany, for "The Future of Welcoming Communities" conference, sponsored by Cultural Vistas. Representatives included Paul Costigan, VP for Program Administration at the International Institute; Elizabeth Pickard, Director of Education & Interpretation at the Missouri History Museum; and Wally Siewert, Director of Civic Engagement at FOCUS STL. The Berlin conference was the most-recent step in a multi-year project which drew the CEOs of the three participating organizations plus Betsy Cohen of the St. Louis MOSAIC Project to Germany for an initial convening two years ago. Participants shared best practices in immigrant settlement and community integration with German counterparts and representatives from other U.S. cities.
Upcoming Events
Bagels & Coffee Series: What is the migrant caravan all about?
December 14, 7:45 am - 9:15 am (program begins at 8 am); International Institute - Hall of Nations
For more information, click here. To register, click here

Grant Proposal Writing Training by The Grantsmanship Center
February 25 - March 1, 2019; International Institute
Early bird registration deadline January 14. For more information, click here.

Tours of IISTL
Last Wednesday monthly, 10 am
Click here for reservation form. Group tours for more than five visitors can be arranged at other times with advance notice, also by using the form.
Other News
Rent event spaces at IISTL
Need a space to hold a small meeting or a large event? We may have what you want! For rates and room sizes, please visit our rental page.

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