About Us

» Our History | » How We Operate | » How We Are Funded | » Guests and Hostesses

Our History

In 1958 Esther Dunham learned from a friend at the University of Michigan International Center that an increasing number of foreign graduate students were arriving in Ann Arbor with their families. The wives and children often faced difficult adjustments and loneliness. Mrs. Dunham and her neighbors responded, offering hospitality with a series of informal gatherings of neighborhood groups, more or less on a monthly basis. English Conversation Groups and a newsletter were added. Then a monthly International Day program was begun. Gradually other activities and services were added. International Neighbors was formally organized through the adoption of by-laws and the establishment of an executive board in 1960. In 1963 it was incorporated under Michigan law as a non-profit charitable organization.

How We Operate

International Neighbors functions primarily through small groups and one-to-one relationships. The organization operates in accordance with a set of by-laws and policies. It is governed by an executive board of officers and committee coordinators that oversee and coordinate the activities and services. An annual meeting is held each May for the election of officers and committee coordinators.

Our focus is on friendship and cultural exchange. International Neighbors has a policy that prohibits the use of its name, publications or activities to promote commercial, political or religious causes.

How We Are Funded

The operating expenses of International Neighbors are paid for by the donations of members, service clubs and corporations including the Downtown Ann Arbor Kiwanis Club and Japan Business Society of Detroit. Additional funds are raised from memorial contributions.

Guests, Hostesses and Friends

The women who participate in International Neighbors are called guests, hostesses or friends.

Guests are women from other countries who are newcomers to this area. Guests participate in whatever programs and activities are of interest to them. If a guest lives in the area for more than a few years, she may choose to become a hostess and offer friendship and support to newcomers. For more information, click here.

Hostesses are women who have lived in the United States and are familiar with the Ann Arbor area. They take an active role in the organization by befriending new guests, helping lead programs or by serving on the Executive Board. As volunteers, their active participation provides the organizational strength of International Neighbors and contributes to the enrichment of all the groups. Women who are able to devote as little as two hours a month to an activity are welcome. Many hostesses make an annual tax-deductible donation to the organization.
Friends are women who are familiar with the Ann Arbor area and wish to explore opportunities for international friendship within the organization, but are not yet ready to become active as a hostess in a group, on a committee or at International Day. For more information, click here.