Meeting time: 7:00 pm, Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Location: Zoom
Officers present:
President: Bob Persiko
Public Relations Officer: Rose Sharp
Treasurer: Bruce Truitt
Secretary: Alexandra Persiko
Not present:
Vice President: Ciara Halloran
Number of members in attendance: 11.
Call to order at 7:05 PM.
November 2024 general meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.
Reports of Officers & Standing Committees
President – Bob Persiko
- Bob expressed appreciation for loyal members, the GC leadership team, and financial security. These volunteers make the organization what it is. He noted that we currently have 62 members and 230 contacts in Wild Apricot.
- He noted that it remains a perennial problem that we need volunteers who can expand activities such as someone to restart the cultural events (previously luncheons). We also need volunteers to fill leadership roles.
- Bob provided an overview of the past year, which included:
- The English literacy program has been going very well and there has been a good financial contribution from Centre Gives to the program.
- International Education Week digital dialogue premiered last year and will be repeated next week with international high school exchange students from North Macedonia, Thailand, and Kazakhstan.
- He mentioned a new initiative, which entails working with two Smeal students to help GC develop a marketing plan. Destiny (present at the meeting) and Grace are in the process of developing a marketing plan with the intention of expanding interest in GC and ultimately membership.
- Bob noted that GC is glad to support the English Language Learning Fund that Linda Barton organizes.
- He reported that GC is continuing its partnerships with other community organizations such as the American Association of University Women, Community Diversity Group, Penn State Global/Global Engagement Programs, Mid-State Literacy Council, SC Area School District (Alix Crosswell), Volunteer Centre County, and the UN Association of State College.
Vice President – Ciara Halloran – not present
Treasurer – Bruce Truitt
Bruce reported on GC’s finances:
- The originating Global Connections Fund has a balance of $46,015.86, which represents a growth of 37.22% since its inception of $33,534.00 in 2008.
- GC’s spendable sub-fund, established with $25,000 in 2023, has a balance of $30,164.89, which represents an overall growth rate of almost 21%.
- Perhaps most importantly, Global Connections (GC) recently concluded its most successful Centre Gives Campaign which has a direct and positive effect on both our Global Connections English Language Literacy Fund and our ability to fund English Language Learning (ELL) scholarships at the Mid-State Literacy Council (MSLC).
- The MSLC is a critically important organization. For example, in the spring 2025 semester, they served 86 English Language Learning (ELL) students from 30 different countries. These 86 students speak 21 different languages, including Arabic, Cantonese, Catalan, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Kabyle, Kazakh, Korean, Kurdish, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Urdu.
- However, 64% of these students were unable to afford the $250 tuition for a semester of English study, which therefore represents a barrier facing immigrants who want to learn English as a means of advancing themselves in our country and community. This is why we created the Global Connections English Language Literacy Fund. The Fund’s goal is to use its interest to perpetually fund English Language Learning scholarships at MSLC without affecting the principal.
- While we are not there yet, substantial progress has been made, as follows:
- Including our upcoming contribution from the most recent Centre Gives Campaign, since fall 2023, GC has funded 17 ELL scholarships at MSLC.
- The fund started with $25,000 in the fall of 2023 but now has $31,697.56, a growth rate of 26.08%.
- We can now fund eight scholarships each year rather than the original four, even though MSLC per capita tuition has increased from $195 to $250.
- Thanks to the most recent Centre Gives campaign, we increased the principal by some $900, thereby reducing the percentage of principal needed for scholarship perpetuity from 100% to 72%.
- Finally, in 2025 Global Connections will fund eight ELL scholarships to students from Egypt, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Palestine, Mexico, Haiti, and Libya. This is tangible evidence of how donations and the support of our community directly support the mission of Global Connections and MSLC to ensure literacy is for ALL.
- This finance overview will also be part of the annual January report.
Public Relations – Rose Sharp
- Rose introduced herself and mentioned that she joined GC as the Public Relations committee member one year ago. She brings marketing skills to the table, including creating a social media presence for GC, flyers, and advertising the organization. She has enjoyed meeting people at various events such as the summer potluck which was organized together with the Penn State Global Community Engagement Program (Wenjie Fu) and the joint picnic in early October and has found it encouraging to see returning and new folks.
- December will include a new event: part social, part fundraiser, it will be a winter event with desserts, hot chocolate, and other feel-good treats that attendees are encouraged to contribute. A so-called “Brr Basket” (goodies for winter) will be raffled off, with proceeds going towards the GC Literacy Funds.
- Additionally, Rose is working on improving the GC website together with Destiny and Grace. The three plan on launching a new website around the December holidays. The intention is that a facelift and more appealing website will illustrate how GC is involved in the community and thus increase interest in joining the organization.
Membership – Anisha Mukherjee – not present
Cultural Events – N/A
Small groups – Deb Leo
- Deb noted that we are currently hosting two book groups: a beginning and intermediate/advanced group. Deb and Sharon organize the intermediate/advanced group which comprises 12 members, of whom seven-eight regularly participate. The book group meets twice per month.
- The beginner’s group also meets twice a month, focuses on reading books out loud, and works on pronunciation. The average number of attendees is five.
- There is furthermore interest in creating a co-ed book group that would meet in the evening.
- Deb is presently making an inventory of all books. GC has donated books. Renting books from the Schlow Library would be ideal, but there are time limits making the rental difficult.
- Additionally, Deb helped organize the April 2025 poetry night at Webster’s Bookstore – a thorough success. This will remain an annual event and is already planned for 2026.
- Another group that meets regularly is Bob’s discussion group, which meets weekly on Zoom, and once a month in person.
Q & A: Bob asked the group in attendance what GC can do more of:
- Will cultural luncheons start up again? Bob answered that GC would like that, but that volunteers are needed who will organize these events. It remains a goal of GC, and we hope for an event in 2026.
- Linda Barton reported on a friend donating many men’s winter jackets. Deborah suggested contacting “Out of the Cold,” and Sunny a “Friends Meeting,” which should be glad about the donations.
- Linda also reported on the generation of funds to support familied affected by ICE deportations. Alix Crosswell works with her. $2,000 has been raised, providing $100 for each of the 20 families who lost SNAP benefits.
Special Orders
Election of 2026 Officer Team
President – Bob Persiko
Vice President – Ciara Halloran
Public Relations- Rose Sharp
Treasurer – Bruce Truitt
Secretary – not applicable this year
All attendees voted in favor of the proposed slate of candidates.
Guest Speaker: GC was delighted to continue the tradition of having a guest speaker at the annual membership meeting. This year’s guest speaker was Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, who talked about the Sister’s Sister organization
- Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, Ph.D. is the President and CEO of the local Humanitarian Aid Organization SISTER’S SISTER, which was created in State College in 2022 shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started. Sister’s Sister has 2 missions: 1) humanitarian aid to people of Ukraine, and in particular to the sister-city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv region; and 2) education of American people about Ukraine, its history, culture, and the current situation. You can find what Sister’s Sister does at their website: www.sisterssister.org.
- Svitlana vividly presented on the impact of the organization, the hands-on efforts to help, and the difference this has made.
Unfinished Business
None
New Business
None
Meeting adjournment: 08:06 PM
Minutes prepared by Alexandra Persiko, November 15, 2025