We had about 70 individuals attend our Thanksgiving Dinner last Sunday. Here was our agenda:

Welcome
Dr. Evelyn Williams, Executive Director
Juan Eduardo Contreras Barberena, Immediate Past President

Blessing
Kathryn Ress, Akron Area Interfaith Council

Holiday History

Tribute to Rosemary Reymann

Thanksgiving Feast

Karaoke

Expressions of Gratitude

A special welcome to our Global Ties US International Visitor Leadership Program guests and to all who came out to spend the evening with us. I’ll keep my comments brief. I chose the foci of this event long before election day. No matter which side of the political fence you stand on, there is no better time than this to remind us that as we seek to embrace diversity, unity, and vision through citizen diplomacy we must remain hopeful. 

Citizen diplomacy is about the person-to-person interactions that we engage in with people from other countries and cultures. In the US, we often think of this from only our perspective, but let’s remember that when international (whether exchange, immigrant, or refugee) come to us, they are also engaging in citizen diplomacy. It is a mutual exchange of sharing and learning that increases feelings of safety and security through openness with those different than us. And it is through these interactions that unity is promoted- a unity that transcends borders. 

Lastly, no matter who is in office, we, the people, must keep a focused vision towards peace and prosperity to continue to grow as a nation…and as a larger world community.

Please contact us if you’d like to learn more or become involved in our organization.