November 19 was the International Institute of St. Louis' 90th anniversary. More than 200 students gathered in the Institute lobby at Noon for a recognition ceremony with staff and volunteers. Students were welcomed by Anna Crosslin, Institute President & CEO for 31 years. She introduced Bill, Anne, Richard and Peter Tao, long-time Institute supporters and community volunteers for whom the Institute recently named its refugee resettlement fund.
Ms. Crosslin highlighted the valuable volunteer and financial contributions that the Tao family members have made to the Institute over the past 25 years. She noted that three Taos: Anne, Richard and Peter have served terms on the Institute's Board of Directors and that Richard has recently re-joined the Board. Bill co-chaired the Institute's Capital Campaign from 1997-2000 with the late Margie W. May. Together, they raised nearly $2.5 million to acquire and renovate the Institute's current headquarters facility at 3654 S. Grand Blvd.
During the ceremony, a plaque on the lobby wall, designating the "William K. Y. Tao Family Fund," was unveiled. Contributions to the fund will help ease the transition of newly arriving refugees. Specifically, the donations will be used for food, housing, transportation and other new arrival needs, which meager resettlement stipends do not cover.
Bill Tao addressed the students, telling them that he had been a refugee himself, when he escaped from China and came to America after World War II. "The Institute is 90, but I am 92 years old," he laughingly told the crowd. "So, that makes me older than the International Institute!"
Mr. Tao's audience was students from Nepal, Colombia, Iraq, Somalia, Burma, and dozens of other war-torn countries around the world. They are among our city's newest refugee arrivals. They at the Institute learning English so they can quickly get a job and start on the pathway to American citizenship. While their English skills were limited, all the students understood the importance of the occasion and the high community stature of the Tao family.
Community members wanting to make donations to the Tao Family Fund can send checks to the "International Institute," at 3654 S. Grand, St. Louis, MO 63118. Or donations can be made by credit card online at www.iistl.org. Donations are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
International Institute St. Louis prepares immigrants and other St. Louisans for a shared future by offering integration services, including English classes and cultural support, economic development, and public policy advocacy. The Institute also presents the multicultural Festival of Nations each August, drawing more than 125,000 visitors to Tower Grove Park. |
