The University of Toledo gears up from annual Thanksgiving sharing event

For the past three years, American families have volunteered to host The University of Toledo’s international students in their homes for Thanksgiving. The idea behind the International Thanksgiving program, as explained by Sammy Spann, assistant provost for international studies and programs, is to give the international students a piece of American culture.

“We want to show them what Thanksgiving means to us and what we have to be thankful for. It gives international students the feeling of what it’s like to be American, if only for a moment.” Spann said. “The students come back to us and they tell us they absolutely embrace and love what we have. Their expectations are exceeded.”

“Every student we got an evaluation from afterwards talked about how it made them feel so welcome, some even cried at the end. So, we did it the next year, and they started talking to their friends, and it grew up to 15 or 20 students.” Spann said

Last year, about 50 international students experienced traditional Thanksgiving dinners with American families. So far, 69 international students have signed up for this Thanksgiving. However, only ten American families have volunteered to be hosts. If more families do not sign up, Spann said that CISP may have to cancel.

“Especially with the election going on, a lot of international students have certain opinions about us and I don’t want them to generalize,” Spann said. “We want to introduce our international students to American culture, and to show them that we are not what you see on television.”

Spann said he wants the international students to see that America is still a great nation and that he wants the students to feel apart of the university as well.

Emily Davis, a third-year criminal justice major said, “Although this is a tense moment for a lot of people because of the election, it’s important for the international and domestic students to come together and reflect on America’s core values. There is still a lot to be thankful for living in this country, and when is a better time to remember these values than Thanksgiving?”

Spann hosted five international students at his own Thanksgiving last year, hosting students from Africa, Sri-Lanka and England.

“To sit there and have a conversation around the table, it was remarkable,” Spann said. “And our daughters, too, sat there and listened to the conversations we had. It opened their minds up. It was beautiful, a very powerful moment.”

CISP hopes not to cancel the International Thanksgiving program for this year. In the event that no more American families choose to volunteer, Spann explains that CISP has a plan B and will host their own traditional Thanksgiving dinner for all of the international students.

For more information about CISP or the program you can go to www.utoledo.edu/cisp/thanksgiving/ or contact CISP directly at [email protected]