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Winter 2015
COLLEAGUES
INTERNATIONAL
Making a Difference Together
By Jerry Potratz
Over the last few
years, the names of
Bringing the World to You
people at the top
an affiliate of GlobalTies-US
of our organization
Colleagues International
is Kalamazoo’s leading international have changed too
organization, linking
frequently and, to the
Jerry Potratz (center) with CI interns at
businesses and institutions
casual
observer,
this
Western Michigan University’s Career
with hundreds of rising and
Fair. More to come on the event!
may
make
Colleagues
established leaders. We are
International (CI) look unstable. But the casual
a volunteer-based citizen
diplomacy organization and
observer does not see what I see: Our firm, proven
part of a network of
and reliable foundation of office volunteers, interns,
volunteers that was
professional hosts, hospitality hosts, home hosts, etc.
nominated for the 2001
We are now a “100% volunteer” organization.
Nobel Peace Prize
Now,
we rely more than ever on each other. There is
For more information, visit
colleaguesinternational.com
no one else I would rather rely on than you. Let me
graciously thank you for your past contributions of
CONTACT:
time and energy and money to CI and let me express
555 W. Crosstown Parkway, Suite 203
my appreciation for your continued support.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
As volunteers for CI we need to appreciate
(269) 341-9494
Executive Director
the difference we make in the world. Many of
Jerry Potratz
our guests, prior to their arrival here, do not have
[email protected]
positive views of the U.S. In their brief time here,
we expose visitors to our culture and to our people
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
and we typically turn their opinions. They leave as
Jerry Potratz, President
Thom Miller Vice President
advocates for us and for our country.
Judy Huth, Secretary
Please contact me and become as increasingly
Maggie Sikkema, Treasurer
involved
as you want to be in CI. Together, we will
Derrick Ricca, Past President
continue to bring the world to Kalamazoo; enriching
Luke Berry
our own lives and making this world a more
Kendall Dingwall
April Nolasco de Carvalho
understanding, prosperous and peaceful place.
Food, Festivities, FUNDS!
By Judy Kepler
On the evening of December 18, 2014, Colleagues International (CI) held its most
successful fundraiser to date, Holidays Around the World. CI raised over $3,500 at
the event enjoyed by over 100 Colleagues
International volunteers, supporters, past
and present interns from Western Michigan
University (WMU) and Kalamazoo College. This
successful fundraiser was put together by Sid
Ellis, April Nolasco de Carvalho, Jerry and Louise
Potratz.
The event was held at the Trimpe Building
on the campus of WMU. The building is home
to WMU’s Multicultural Center. A spacious
Former CI interns Sevda Robinson and Rachel
Neubauer enjoy the food and festivities.
room at the Center was made available at
no charge to CI by Dr. Martha Warfield, Vice
President for Diversity and Inclusion at WMU.
Attendees mingled and sampled a variety of
international cuisine from several food stations
throughout the evening. The aromas of the
food blended well with the music provided by
four groups: Brook Farm String Band, Great
Lakes Grass, American Taste of Russia, and
Sidney Ellis II on the djembe.
CI owes tremendous thanks to many
Attendees Alice Asmus, Pam Sackett, Jay
Bonsignore and others appaluad as music fills restaurants and individuals who donated the
WMU’s Multicultural Center.
amazing variety of international food for the
event: The Cheese Lady, Chinn Chinn, Comensoli’s, El Inka, Jambo African Cuisine,
Saffron and Zooroona.
In addition, Imperial Beverage provided a variety of drinks. A significant monetary
gift from Wayside West enabled individual CI volunteers to prepare and serve their
own dishes. Inge Luciano made a German dish, and Layla Jaboori satisfied everyone’s
sweet tooth with her baklava.
Thank you to everyone who helped
make this fundraiser a success!!
Colleagues International
Goes to Washington
Jerry Potratz, Susan Larner and Judy
Huth attended the annual Global Ties
Conference in Washington, D.C. on February
4-7. The theme of the conference was
“New Diplomacy: Building on 75 years.”
It was a very productive conference,
offering the opportunity to network with
State Department staff, Program Officers
and representatives from many other
community-based organizations like
Colleagues International from around the
country. Keynote speakers included Oscar
Arias, Richard Stengel and Dr. Jill Biden. The
conference also offered an opportunity to
promote the upcoming Global Ties Regional
Summit that CI will be co-hosting in Detroit
on April 23rd. All are invited to attend the
conference, look for more details to come!
From left, clockwise: Larner visited the
Indonesian Embassy and smiles with her
hosts of the evening; Huth and Potratz
with former program participant Gruia Ioan
Bumba, who is now the President of the
Romanian Alumni Association; Portratz
poses at the Embassy of the Czech Repiblic
with Ambassador Petr Gancalovič.
Story by Judy Huth
Photos courtesy of Susan
Larner and Jerry Potratz
Want to Keep Updated on
CI News?
Sign up for our new monthly email
blasts by visiting our website
colleaguesinternational.org.
Get the lastest information on
upcoming groups, CI events and
fundraiser, and stay connected
with the CI family!
Judy Huth
Meet our New Board Members
Judy joined the board in late 2014 and has been a longtime volunteer at Colleagues
International. She received her bachelors and master degrees from Western Michigan
University and worked for Upjohn/Pharmacia/Pfizer for 30 years, primarily in Marketing
and Information Systems. She followed that with 5 years as the Executive Director of
Volunteer Kalamazoo. In retirement, she is an active community volunteer, working
with the United Way of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, the Arcadia Institute, and,
of course, Colleagues International.
Luke Berry
Luke joined the board of Colleagues International in 2015. Having
grown up in South Africa, Luke has a passion for promoting
diplomacy in the United States. Luke is a Financial Advisor with
Merrill Lynch, and hopes to use this experience to help strengthen
this great organization. Luke lives in Kalamazoo with his wife
Michelle.
555 West Crosstown Parkway, Suite 203
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-1967
(269) 341-9494
www.colleaguesinternational.org