EAST LANSING, Mich. — The 10th Annual East Lansing Welcomes the World event will be hosted at the East Lansing Public Library (ELPL), 950 Abbot Road, on Friday, Sept. 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
International students and families are invited to come meet their East Lansing neighbors at this special, free event brought to the community by a partnership between the City of East Lansing and Michigan State University. The event will feature catered food, family activities, community information tables, a special visit from Sparty and more. New this year, there will also be karaoke. In addition to the food and activities, there will be a brief program during the event featuring welcoming remarks by East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, MSU Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) Director Krista McCallum Beatty and ELPL Director Kristin Shelley.
“We are excited to add karaoke to the mix of activities offered at this year’s event and we are hoping that moving the event from a Sunday afternoon to a Friday evening will work well for both students and families alike,” said OISS Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator Joy Shantz. “This event is always a lot of fun and it is a great opportunity for us to let our international community members know that they are welcome here.”
“The City of East Lansing is a richly diverse community, with approximately 9,000 international students, scholars and dependent family members living here,” said ELPL Director Kristin Shelley. “The East Lansing Welcomes the World event provides our community members from across the globe with a great opportunity to meet their American neighbors in a fun and welcoming setting.”
The East Lansing Welcomes the World event is free and open to all community members. East Lansing residents are encouraged to attend to help in welcoming their international neighbors.
East Lansing’s event coincides with Welcoming America’s Welcoming Week, which is Sept. 13-22. East Lansing Welcomes the World is currently featured on the calendar of events for Welcoming Week: https://www.welcomingamerica.org/welcoming-week-event/east-lansing-welcomes-world.