Our 37th World Festival has come to an end, and it was one for the record books. It was extremely well received by the visitors, and I have heard nothing but glowing remarks.

I want to make sure you all know, that your efforts are greatly appreciated, not just by the Rochester International Association, but by the community at large. The RIA is a small organization with great aspirations. Everybody volunteers and we all have to take out time from our work and family life to make the World Festival happen. It takes us almost a whole year to get it all organized. That’s why we know how it feels that you do the same to represent your culture and background, We especially appreciate the newcomers to the World Festival! We know it is not easy to do it for the first time and hope you got the “bug” of the brotherhood we enjoy experiencing every year. Some have been participating for decades and we thank you for your sustained enthusiasm.

There is no other festival like this in Rochester, where the richness of the many different cultures and countries, which are represented in our City, are shown in all its diversity. As far as I know, there may not be another festival in the City that has been in existence as long as the World Festival.

We thank you for being part of the World Festival, putting your best foot forward, and for being willing to go out there and be part of something great! This is the reason why the festival has lasted for 37 years.

A special thank you also to our many volunteers: Upward Bound, JM Honors Students, Mayo HS International Club, and many individuals contributed to ease the work load and make it easier for everybody. You are an essential part of the festival.

We hope to see you back next year, when we celebrate the World Festival for the 38th time! It is a tradition we will continue with everyone’s support as long as possible. Fuad Mansour, a Palestinian, who worked at Mayo for many years, had this vision of everybody coming together and appreciating each other’s contributions, when he founded the World Festival in 1976. It takes all of us to keep this vision alive.

We also invite you to be part of the organizing committee for next year, or be a member of the RIA board of directors. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail
herta.matteson@ria-minnesota.org and I will make sure you are invited or nominated. We truly appreciate input from new members. Also send me an e-mail, if you have ideas on how to make it better, where we succeeded or where we failed. If at all doable, we will incorporate your input in next year’s festival.

Please extend our gratitude to your whole group. See you in 2013!

Herta Matteson
President,
Rochester International Association

APRIL 13, 7 PM:
SHOW OF CULTURAL PERFORMANCES

APRIL 14, 10 AM – 3 PM:
ETHNIC FOOD, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES, CULTURAL DISPLAYS, PARADE OF NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE, DANCING AND MORE

At Mayo High School, Rochester

THE WORLD FESTIVAL WAS FOUNDED IN 1976 AS A BICENTENNIAL EVENT TO SHOW CASE THE MANY CULTURES REPRESENTED IN SE MINNESOTA. SINCE 1982 THE ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION HAS BEEN ORGANIZING THE EVENT. WE ARE A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION AND EXCHANGE.

Friday night enjoy professionally staged performances from around the world in the auditorium, directed by Terri Allred. Jess Abrahamson of KTTC will be the Master of Ceremonies. (The entrance fee is: $4 for children, $8 for adults, $20 for families)

Saturday 10-3 (entrance is free): Take a trip around the world in one day! Visit with your international neighbors in Rochester and learn about their culture, try their food, listen to their music and dance along.

- The children will enjoy starting out Saturday morning at 10:30 am with a dance to get them excited and energized. Then take them to the tables with many international activities and crafts.

- See the flags and beautiful ethnic dresses in the Parade of Nations.

- Try a cuisine you have never tried or enjoy something you already know. We have plenty to choose from.

- Make new friends by visiting the cultural displays and learn about the background of your Rochester neighbors from other countries.

- Rochester organizations with an international outlook will present their programs and buy some souvenirs from around the world at the Market Place.

Come and enjoy a wonderful time of “traveling around the world in one day” in Rochester!

For more information or to sign up to participate, please visit the Rochester International Association’s website at www.ria-minnesota.org or send an e-mail to herta.matteson@ria-minnesota.org

The Minnesota Historical Society will also have a specialist there to help appraise family heirlooms and a family tree craft project for children to do.

People must pre-register  for a time slot by calling Janet Timmerman at 507-282-9447, ext. 117 or e-mailing programs@olmstedhistory.com

Sat, Mar. 3 2012 / 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM / Cost: Free
101 2nd Street SE / Rochester MN

View/print the Portraits Flyer for distribution or share with your friends.

Go to the History Center website for more information.

• World Festival 2012 General Registration
• World Festival 2012 Performers
• World Festival 2012 Marketplace Vendors

Registrations will be forwarded to the following persons responsible for coordinating the individual areas.

• Terri Allred (Performances, Friday and Saturday)
• Steve Baumgartner (Food, Saturday)
• Liz Parry (Children’s Activities, Saturday)
• Katy Chia (Market Vendors, Saturday)
• Nelpha Malibago (Cultural Displays, Saturday)
• Herta Matteson (World Festival Chair)

View more information about our World Festival volunteer needs or visit our World Festival page for the latest information.

• January 11, 2012, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm,  Terri Allred will talk about Middle Eastern dance.
• February 8, 2012, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm,  A doctor from Libya will talk about current events there.
• March 14, 2012, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm, Krista Lance will talk about teaching in Korea and Chile.
• April 11, 2012 and May 9, 2012 are still OPEN. If you wish to be a speaker, please contact Herta Matteson.

I am sending out a request for help in locating a mentor for a wonderful High School Senior that is going to major in International Business. She has already pursued three local mentors and all have fallen through. Her emphasis in her college career will be International Business, though her mentorship doesn’t need to be specifically in that area. She has experience tutoring, is self-motivated and extremely pleasant and easy to work with, reads Spanish, is conversational in French, is studying Arabic, Greek and Latin. Her goal is to get into Yale. She is needing a commitment before the end of the semester on January 23rd. The project she need to work on with a mentor will need to take a minimum of 60 hours or thereabouts. If you are willing to discuss the possibility with her or know someone that can help, please let me know ASAP and let me know how you wish to communicate with her initially. Phone, email or personal interview. She is willing to communicate online if necessary for all projects and conversation if she cannot find someone locally. I will work with our tech support to see if we can Skype here at Century High School. Thank you for your consideration, I really appreciate it!
~Leslie McGillivray Rivas (Century Library Media Center 507-328-5097)

Vietnamese New Years

Ticket price: Adult ticket (13-65): $10, Children and senior ticket (4-12 and over 65): $5, Admission free for children 3 and under.

Last year, more than 42,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $10 million to Minnesota charities in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. Together, we have the power to raise millions of dollars for thousands of nonprofits. Rochester International Association, together with GiveMN.org – a first-of-its-kind giving website for nonprofits in Minnesota – is working to create a stronger nonprofit community for Minnesota.

GiveMN’s Give to the Max Day amplifies your giving impact in a number of ways. First, a $1,000 “Golden Ticket” will be given to a random donor’s charity every hour.  You could be that donor!  Donate by going to our page.  Also, your donation on November 16, could put us on the leaderboard. $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 prize grants will be awarded to the top three nonprofit organizations (colleges and universities excluded) which receive the most dollars in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. New this year—$15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 prize grants will be awarded to the top three small nonprofit organizations – with budgets under $750,000 – which receive the most dollars on Give to the Max Day. Also new this year—$15,000 and $5,000 prize grants will be awarded to the top two Minnesota colleges or universities which receive the most dollars on Give to the Max Day. Help us get “on the board!”

By giving online with GiveMN, Rochester residents have the opportunity to make a huge difference for nonprofits in our area. We hope you will help support our community by logging on to www.GiveMN.org on November 16 and giving to your favorite charity. Be a part of this historic event and join this “Great Minnesota Give Together!” You can now also fundraise for your favorite causes—like us!—on GiveMN too by creating a fundraiser page.

If you were already considering making a donation to Rochester International Association, please do it on GiveMN on November 16!

Sincerely,

Herta Matteson
RIA President