The most important source of support for Finnish culture in the United States |
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Crayfish party season in Finland; photo by Emilia Hoisko courtesy VisitFinland.com
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Did You Know...
...that in recent years, the Finnish lawn (or beach) game of mölkky has caught on in the United States?
The word mölkky is a made up name for the game, which is based on similar, centuries-old contests; click here for a history.
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GREETINGS
Summer is winding down and students are heading back to school---remotely or in-person---amidst continuing uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
Due to the pandemic, college students are faced with constantly changing conditions and regulations on campus. This situation, compounded by rising tuition and other costs, distracts them from their education and this investment in their future.
Through our scholarship program, Finlandia Foundation offers students financial assistance to help ease these burdens. In 2021 we awarded more scholarship funds than in previous years, and with your contributions we can continue on that trajectory.
Please consider a gift to FFN that will help us to make an investment in the future that can be truly impactful.
Anne-Mari Paster
President
ampaster @ rcn. com
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FFN Young Leaders Board Goes to Washington |
By Lauren Tuiskula
Earlier this month, members of FFN’s Young Leaders Board (YLB) met in-person for the first time, gathering at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, DC to meet with Ambassador of Finland to the United States Mikko Hautala and his team.
YLB members at the Finnish Embassy in Washington (from left) Tatu Kunto, Embassy
Cultural Counselor Suvi Järvelä-Hagström, Lauren Tuiskula, Anya Peck, Ambassador
Mikko Hautala, Thomas Flanagan, Julia Paster and Mikko McFeely
The meeting began with an inspiring speech from Ambassador Hautala followed by presentations by his team about the Embassy’s work in technology, defense and communications. The YLB then shared more about our work to date, and goals for the future.
The spirited conversation included ways to enhance Finland’s image across the globe, creating opportunities to practice and share the Finnish language, and the surprisingly numerous connections in the room to the small town of Seinäjoki.
After the presentations concluded, members of the YLB enjoyed lunch and conversation with the ambassador at his residence, as well as a tour of his sauna.
The YLB left feeling incredibly grateful for the invitation to meet with Ambassador Hautala and his team, and inspired by the ideas and discussions shared.
We look forward to continued conversation and collaboration with the Embassy as we all work to share Finland’s rich culture, history and opportunities with the next generation.
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Finlandia Foundation Announces National Sauna Week |
Sauna is undoubtedly the most recognized Finnish word in the U.S., within and outside of the Finnish-American community. While many people have experienced sauna at hotels, spas and gyms, in the time of COVID-19, home saunas have become popular additions.
FFN is already working with its affiliated chapters across the country as well as sauna societies and organizations in the U.S. and Finland to make National Sauna Week a collaborative celebration of the traditions, history, and health and social aspects of sauna.
Another goal of National Sauna Week, FFN President Anne-Mari Paster says wryly, “is to spread the correct pronunciation of sauna across the land.”
Watch for National Sauna Week details to be unveiled at FFN social media and at the website: FinlandiaFoundation.org.
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Photo by Eva Trygg
A Scholar of Note
Lucy Abrams-Husso first started playing clarinet when she was 10, and today---three music degrees later---she is a doctoral candidate in the DocMus program at the Sibelius Academy.
The Chicago native, who now lives in Helsinki, will release her first solo album this fall.
Lucy, a 2015 FFN scholarship recipient, is one of hundreds of students in a wide range of studies in the U.S. and FInland who have benefited from the FFN scholarship program.
501(c)(3) organization, is matched dollar-for-dollar by the Paloheimo Foundation (up to $100,000 annually).
Thank You! Kiitos!
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Dive into Deep River
Looking for a great end-of-summer read? Deep River by Karl Marlantes follows Finnish immigrants of a century ago in the rugged logging country of the Pacific Northwest, where the lives of three siblings take very different paths.
This book talk is just one of a variety of Finnposium online chats, webinars, and musical and other programs related to Finland and Finnish culture in the U.S.; you can even put your fresh blueberries to delicious use in a recipe shared by the Two Finn Cooks; click here.
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Click the date below for more information on each of the following:
September 1: Applications due for Performer of the Year 2022
February 1: Scholarship and Lindfors Law Scholarship application deadline
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