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A different venture Council links state's diverse ethnic groups
July 31, 2003
� Cultural connections: The Nationalities Council of Indiana is a consortium of many of the state's hundreds of cultural and ethnic organizations. With monthly meetings, a newsletter and the annual International Festival, the council helps Hoosiers of all ethnicities connect. "Most of these groups include both immigrants and members that are two, three or more generations removed from the 'old country,' " said Gene Maresca, the council's president. He is a member of the Italian Heritage Society. � Pride: One reason to join an ethnic organization is to preserve one's heritage and culture. "Another is to offer a safe haven to newcomers where they can learn their way around from those who have been through it already," Maresca said. The Nationalities Council's members vary widely from social clubs to performance troupes. The council has provided a link between such groups and enabled participants to learn from one another for 30 years. Maresca said the council aims to develop a program that provides speakers representing different countries to classrooms on demand. � Portal: The council's Web site, www.nationalitiescouncil. org, offers links to information about hundreds of Hoosier organizations that represent ethnicities from all over the world. It also includes a calendar of ethnic-related events. � Celebration: The council's centerpiece event is the International Festival, which will be Nov. 6-9 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Exposition Hall. Each year children visit on school field trips. Others come to be entertained, to sample food and to get information from booths staffed by hundreds of volunteers from member organizations. Maresca said he hopes visitors to the festival make personal connections and increase their comfort level with other cultures, because that kind of understanding helps people develop more tolerance for those different from themselves. Gene Maresca � Title: President, Nationalities Council of Indiana � Quote: "The spirit of fellowship and cooperation among the people who put the International Festival together each year is nothing less than inspiring and speaks volumes about what the world could be." By Jon Murray
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