Greetings! We would like to invite you to consider joining CISH, an exciting volunteer international program.
Want an opportunity to do something that requires little time and can provide surprising rewards? A group of individuals in the community have come together, mainly from the broader Lehigh Valley community, to re-establish the Council for International Students/Scholars Hospitality that was quite active in the Lehigh Valley during the 1980’s and 1990’s. To make it easy, we have shortened this title to CISH.
What is CISH? The intent of this community group is to provide an environment of service and a “home-away-from home” for the international students and scholars from around the globe who have come to the Lehigh Valley to study. Our planning group has chosen to start with the international students and scholars that are residing at Lehigh University and in the future we will be expanding to include students/scholars from the other local colleges/universities. Our preliminary discussions, and based on the past work of CISH, we know there is a real need to provide this kind of support and American good will to our international population. That's where CISH comes in.
Here are just some of the services that CISH offers:
Serving as a cultural advocate, helping people to "feel at home". Many international students/scholars come to a strange environment and develop a sense of isolation while studying in a new country with a different culture after leaving their support systems far behind.
Having an international guest or two for a home-cooked meal. We have found this to be a rewarding time leading to international fellowship and global understanding.
Inviting students/scholars to community events. It's a joy to explain the rules of baseball to someone who has no idea of balls and strikes!
Temporarily providing housing to a scholar or student during or prior to semester breaks.
Providing local transportation (e.g. doctor’s appointments, grocery store, movie theatre, etc.).
Storing personal belongings over summer.
The biggest plus of this group is that you can be as active and involved as you would like…. You can be a Once-And-Done Volunteer, or a Holiday Celebration Volunteer, the key is you get to choose your level of involvement. To join CISH at any level as well as to get the regular CISH Newsletter highlighting opportunities for involvement, please click here and fill in this brief web survey.
You will be assured of many special and unexpected "dividends" if you chose to come on board.
Join and be a part of the CISH community!