Dear Friends of Asia Institute – Crane House,
As a Chinese descendant who has lived in three countries on three continents, I finally call Louisville my home. While the city of Louisville is not as bustling as Shanghai, where I spent my early adulthood, nor does it have breathtaking bay and ocean views of Melbourne, Australia, where I raised my young son with my Aussie husband, I find peace of mind here. Working for Asia Institute – Crane House (AICH) as the Education Director makes me feel fulfilled in my daily rituals. I am grateful for the trust put on my shoulder and thankful for the opportunity to help spread Asian cultural awareness and make the voices of the Asian community heard!
Throughout my many years of volunteering and working at Crane House, I saw the needs and desires of the local students, seniors, and community members who want to be educated on the understanding and heritage of Asian cultures. However, the past pandemic years have been tough for us, as they were for all nonprofits.
As of last year, we are finally reconnecting with the community to carry out more constructive and impactful work through various Asian educational programs and cultural events. In 2022, we revived the STARTALK program which offers free Mandarin language learning to students in Louisville. Over a hundred K-12 students benefited from this federally funded program in 2023.
AICH’s long-standing signature education program, TIA (Teach in Asia), resumed in 2022. In partnership with the TECRO (Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office in Washington D.C) and MOE (Ministry of Education) Taiwan, we proudly added Taiwan to TIA destination sites along with China, Vietnam, and South Korea. We worked closely with the Kentucky Department of Education and JCPS to select and train nearly 20 American teachers to teach English and American culture at the Taiwan TIA summer camp in 2023 and 2024.
After a successful TIA initiation in Taiwan, our long-time educational partner in China, Jiujiang Education Department resumed the TIA program this summer and welcomed American teachers to the TIA camp in Jiujiang. The educational exchange between AICH and the Jiujiang Education Department inevitably enhanced the friendship between the two sister cities.
AICH welcomed the Jiujiang Delegation and co-hosted the 20th-anniversary sister city relationship reception with WAC (World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana) at Crane House in August. I was honored to represent AICH and help interpret during the official meetings between the Delegation and the Louisville Metro Office to seek bilateral cooperation in commerce, trade, logistics, agriculture, import & export sectors.
The Asian Language Corner Program is AICH’s new education initiative that has received warm responses from the community and benefited many Asian language learners young and old alike. It helps form a unique bond between AICH and those in the community keen to explore Asian cultures. To date, this program has offered over 25 sessions with 15-20 participants each session covering Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages. AICH also co-hosted the Chinese Club at various schools inviting K-12 students to learn Chinese language and culture through activities and projects.
As you can see, AICH is always in the making of more Asian educational programs and we celebrate Asian holidays and festivals throughout the year. Our annual Asian cultural events such as the Lunar New Year Gala (the Year of the Snake Gala will be on Saturday, Feb 1st, 2025 at Speed Art Museum), and the Asian
Night Market at the Fourth Street Live during the Moon Festival, both feature Asian cuisine, Asian visual art, and live performances.
Our educational programs and cultural events are always created with you in mind and we believe education is the key to making great changes!
With your support and donations, our work is made possible. We are counting on you to make an end-of-year gift to support AICH before entering another prosperous and eventful new year!
First-time donors or long-time supporters can contribute to AICH at www.crane-house.org/donate at any time. You can also send a cheque to 1244 S. Third St, Louisville, KY 40203.
We thank you so much for your support and belief in what we do for the community!
Best wishes from the AICH team!
Sincerely,
Joanne Zhou
Education Director/ Asia Institute – Crane House