HEINÄKUU / JULY 2023

Our 70th Anniversary Year

Photo by Harald Arlander, unsplash

Did You Know...

...that FFN is hosting a Soiva Music workshop in cooperation with Helsinki's Sibelius Academy during FinnFest 2023 in Duluth?

"Making Music with Our Bodies” workshops draw from the practices of global pedagogy, which is an immersive way of music making and experiencing music.

The free session, offered on Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29, is for students ages 8 to 16. Workshop leaders are Sibelius Academy students Artur Uronen and Kata Vuoristo.

On Sunday the 30th, the program will be directed at music and theater instructors as well as students majoring in those arts.

For more information and bios of the workshop leaders click:

Student Workshop

Teacher Workshop

Greetings!

I hope you've had a chance to review the information e-mailed on July 6 regarding our "Saving Finland in America" project.

A short video explains the status of the Finlandia Foundation National securing of the Finnish American Heritage Center archives and cultural assets at Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan.

We have accomplished the first of many steps in our work to preserve and protect the future of the "Smithsonian of Finnish America." The video is available at our YouTube channel; please click here.

We are looking forward to hosting a session at FinnFest USA in Duluth to bring everyone up-to-date and answer questions from the audience; a light lunch will be available (first come, first served). Please join us at the "Saving Finland in America" program, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, July 28. And do stop by our booth at the popular Tori throughout the weekend.

Also at FinnFest, we are working with Helsinki's Sibelius Academy to offer an inventive program for children and music teachers; see the story at left.

We hope to see you at FinnFest!

Anne-Mari Paster

President

[email protected]

Apply Now for Performer, Lecturer of the Year 2024

Do you have a special talent or area of expertise related to Finnish America or Finland that you’d like to share with audiences across the U.S.?

Finlandia Foundation National invites you to apply for its Performer of the Year (POY) or Lecturer of the Year (LOY) for 2024.

FFN chapters host appearances by the POY or LOY, who receive a travel stipend from FFN. The chapter provides an honorarium and handles local hosting arrangements.

Current POY singer/songwriter Ida Metsberg (at left) and LOY poet and author Suzanne Matson will continue their terms through 2023. Their appearance schedules included Florida in April for the Finlandia Foundation 70th anniversary celebration.

FFN debuted POY in 1996, and while most of the artists selected have been singers or instrumentalists, any talent that appeals to a range of ages and is consistent with the goals of the FFN is welcome. The POY must reside in the U.S. Application deadline for the next POY is September 1, 2023.

The LOY launched in 2006, and presentations have included films, book talks, cooking demonstrations and programs about history, folkways and architecture. The LOY must reside in the U.S. Application deadline for the next LOY is October 1, 2023.

Find more information at the FFN website:

PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

LECTURER OF THE YEAR

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

July 26-30: FinnFest USA 2023 in Duluth; click here

August 8: Virtual Joint Chapter Meeting, 8 p.m. (Eastern)

September 1: Performer of the Year 2024 application deadline; click here

October 1: Lecturer of the Year 2024 application deadline; click here

October 1: Lindfors Law Scholarship application deadline; click here

2024

January 17: Grant application deadline; click here

February 1: Scholarship application deadline; click here

February 18-24: National Sauna Week; click here

October 1: Lindfors Law Scholarship application deadline; click here

FFN Seeks Applicants

for Young Leaders Board

The Young Leaders Board (YLB) of Finlandia Foundation National is looking for new members! We are seeking people between the ages of 23 and 35 who have an interest in Finland.

Click here to continue reading the article from June's e-news.

YLB members met in Seattle earlier this year to plan for the future of their efforts to involve their peers in appreciation and support of Finland and Finnish America.

If you're interested in learning more or volunteering for the team and a minimum two-year term, please click below:

YOUNG LEADERS BOARD

Your Gifts Make it Possible: Grants Spotlight

The Lodge at Finnish Kaleva Park near Red Lodge and Roberts, Montana, is the home of the Finnish Family of Kaleva.

In 2020, a grant from FFN contributed to a new roof for the historic structure, which has been a Finnish community gathering place for nearly a century. The hall houses artifacts, books and art from Finland.

FFN Executive Director Tommy Flanagan paid a visit during the group's Haying Season Supper, so appropriate for July. Heinäkuu means the month of hay, when the crop is cut to feed the cattle over winter.

At the bountiful and well-attended potluck, largely organized by Patti Prinkki Keebler, Tommy (center) was delighted to meet Red Lodge members including Carrie Mikkola Holst, president of the active FFN chapter.

It is important that organizations and projects such as these preserve Finnish-

American heritage for enjoyment today and appreciation by generations to come. These efforts benefit from your generosity through the FFN grants program.

Your contribution to FFN is matched dollar-for-dollar by the Paloheimo Foundation (up to $100,000 annually). Finlandia Foundation National, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your gift is tax deductible.

Thank You! Kiitos!

DONATE NOW

FinlandiaFoundation.org