GlobalPittsburgh Major Achievements for 2014 - Welcoming International Newcomers, Connecting Globally-Minded People, Hosting International Delegations, Creating Homestays & Hosting Opportunities

GlobalPittsburgh had a good year ever in 2014, connecting hundreds of globally-minded people, welcoming international newcomers, arranging meetings for delegations of international leaders, creating homestays & hosting opportunities, and bringing thousands of dollars into the local economy.

Here are a few of of our major accomplishments:

• Our GlobalPittsburgh CONNECT membership program grew to more than 400 new and returning members from over 40 countries;

• More than 350 members and friends participated in 44 GlobalPittsburgh events and activities during the year, including World Cup gatherings, Painting Nights, Gallery Crawls, potluck dinners, and ice skating in Schenley Park;

• More than 175 members and guests attended our 12 Monthly Group Dinners at ethnic restaurants around the region;

• Launched the "Keep Pittsburgh Global" campaign to highlight international connections and success stories in the Pittsburgh region through partnership with the Sprout Fund and The Global Switchboard, an incubator/ coworking space for globally-focused people and organizations in the city's Lawrenceville neighborhood.

• Celebrated the third anniversary of our First Thursdays Networking Happy Hour for Globally-Minded People in August. Over 1,000 community members participated in our monthly networking events in 2014. New members joined our organization during each event, many of whom are young professionals;

• Designed 25 itineraries for 169 distinguished leaders invited by the U.S. Department of State to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program;

• Arranged meetings for international leaders with 384 regional professionals representing 222 institutions, companies, or individual departments within larger institutions;

• 139 Fulbright Scholars attending an Enrichment Seminar in Pittsburgh (photo at right) enjoyed dinner in the homes of 44 host families living in and around the city. Additionally, a total of 7 volunteers assisted GlobalPittsburgh at connecting scholars and hosts at four different locations;

• Arranged 131 homestays (totaling over 5,388 nights) for students and professionals to live in host families’ homes through both the International Leaders and GlobalPittsburghCONNECT programs;

• Co-hosted the Global Great Lakes Network Convening in June with Vibrant Pittsburgh. The event attracted more than 250 people working on immigrant-related economic development initiatives from cities and organizations in the upper Midwest and Northeast regions.

• Distributed 415 donated tickets to 11 cultural events to GlobalPittsburgh members, valued at nearly $23,500;

• Launched first Annual Picnic in North Park attracting over 100 new international students (photo at right) from several colleges and universities in the region, members and host families.

• 405 international leaders participated in 38 itineraries designed and implemented by GlobalPittsburgh’s staff and volunteer citizen diplomats;

• Arranged 833 room nights in local hotels, generating over $108,000 in room fees and over $15,000 in local taxes;

• 14 volunteers and interns from seven different countries assisted with marketing, programming, and events, collectively donating more than 2,200 hours of their time to the organization. This year, interns and volunteers were drawn from six different universities in the Pittsburgh area.

• Gail Shrott, Director of GlobalPittsburgh’s International Leaders Program, presented a training program called "Training and Engaging Your Volunteers" at the 2014 National Meeting of Global Ties U.S. in Washington, DC. She helped to develop the presentation and training materials while serving as a Subject Matter Expert for Global Ties U.S.

• GlobalPittsburgh renewed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Commercial Service to promote education opportunities in the Pittsburgh region through trade offices worldwide.

• Assembled international players to form a GlobalPittsburgh All-Stars soccer team (photo at right) and won the second consecutive championship in the Cameroon Football Development Program's Play for a Purpose soccer tournament.

• Represented our Study Pittsburgh Initiative at the EducationUSA Forum in Washington, D.C., in June, presenting to international education advisers from around the world about educational opportunities in the Pittsburgh region.

• GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays Networking Happy Hours 2014 partners and supporters: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brother’s Brother Foundation, Cleverhood, Consulate General of Canada, Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, Leadership Pittsburgh, Luke Wholey’s Wild Alaskan Grille, Massage Envy, Mitchell’s Restaurant, Bar and Banquet Center, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Paris 66, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roland’s Seafood Grill, Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, Steel Cactus, VisitPITTSBURGH, and Youtopia Wellness.

• Thomas Buell, Jr., GlobalPittsburgh's Director of Development & Marketing, was appointed to Mayor Bill Peduto's Welcoming Pittsburgh Advisory Council to guide the city's efforts to become a friendlier and more inclusive place for international newcomers.

• Served as a Style Ambassador for Style Week Pittsburgh 2014 highlighting the region's internationally diverse designers and models.

GlobalPittsburgh in social media:
Facebook: 3,043 followers
Twitter: 9,333 followers
LinkedIn: 1,417 members