Our Mission
The Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association promotes strong bonds of international friendship and respect among the people of Kalamazoo (USA), its partnership city of Pushkin (Russia) and other locations of Russian heritage. We seek to create relationships by facilitating and encouraging exploration of our respective cultures, by engaging local people of Russian and Eastern European heritage, and by sharing their rich traditions, art, music, and literature with our community.
The History of
The Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association
In the early 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, military and political tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western world disintegrated and people across the United States sought to bridge the ideological gap that had divided our world since 1945.
In November 1991, one of these people, Janet Ferguson, became one of the first Kalamazoo ambassadors to Russia. Janet was the Director of the Council of International Programs (CIP) within Western Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Janet traveled to Leningrad to attend a conference that would help inform Russian municipal officials about practices within U.S. city governments. Ferguson, and the other citizen ambassadors were taken, as a matter of protocol, to Pushkin.
Because Pushkin approximated Kalamazoo in population and commercial enterprise, Ferguson invited Pushkin officials to a CIP exchange program to learn about city government in a democracy, specifically here in Kalamazoo. Within two months, in early 1992, city officials from Pushkin came to Kalamazoo for 10 days. The Pushkin guests expressed a desire “to establish a long-term contact on issues of mutual interest between the two cities.” Then-Kalamazoo Mayor, Edward Annen, said the city would send a delegation to the Soviet Union later that year.
This gave birth to the Kalamazoo—Pushkin Partnership (KPP), a sister-city-type agreement signed by both city officials in Pushkin at the end of 1992, beginning of 1993. This document cited “our common interests to develop positive relations between the peoples and governments of Russia and the United States of America.”
In 1993 nearly a dozen Kalamazooans traveled to Pushkin. Many of this initial group are still active with the KRCA today: Jackie Howlett, Garrylee McCormick, Betty Lee Ongley, Helen Palleschi, Jerolyn Selkirk, and Mike Stoline. These folks saw an opportunity to offer humanitarian aid to the people of Pushkin. Teaming with Physicians for Social Responsibility, this group assembled 12.5 tons of medical items valued at US $287,000, shipped the items to Pushkin, and personally accompanied their delivery to Hospital #38 in Pushkin. It was a real people-to-people campaign.
The humanitarian shipments continued until 1997 when Pushkin didn’t need these items any more…. but the people-to-people campaign continues today. In 2010, a contingent of 22 members traveled to Tsarskoe Selo to help celebrate the city’s 300th anniversary. In 2011, The Kalamazoo-Pushkin Partnership changed its name to the Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association (KRCA). The association has designed and conducted many events, including the Annual Kalamazoo Russian Festival since 1995, bringing Russian culture to our local community and introducing our visitors from Pushkin to thousands of Americans. In 2020 unfortunately, due to Covid-19, our festival was canceled.
Guests from Pushkin are typically recognized by the Mayor of Kalamazoo, introduced to the City Commission, provided with tours highlighting the community, and given the opportunity to experience a week of home-hosted living in the USA. Representatives from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., have also attended our festivals and the children of Embassy personnel performed as a choir at our 2015 festival. We have also had the honor of welcoming the University of St. Petersburg choir and other musicians to Kalamazoo.
KRCA has a special connection with students, faculty, and administration from School 606 in Pushkin, who visited Kalamazoo in 2016 and 2018. These thirty-two guests stayed in members’ homes, spent several days in local high schools, dressed up in costumes for Halloween, took turns flying in a private prop-plane, visited a fish hatchery, toured local museums, experienced life in an Amish school, home and farm and enjoyed many other activities during their stay. They also performed at our annual Russian Festival to very appreciative crowds. Their visit in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The KRCA is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the following mission: The Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association promotes strong bonds of international friendship and respect among the people of Kalamazoo (USA), its partnership city of Pushkin (Russia) and other locations of Russian heritage. We seek to create relationships by facilitating and encouraging exploration of our respective cultures, by engaging local people of Russian and Eastern European heritage, and by sharing their rich traditions, art, music, and literature with our community.
Visit us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/search/posts?q=kalamazoo%20russian%20cultural%20association
The Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association
In the early 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, military and political tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western world disintegrated and people across the United States sought to bridge the ideological gap that had divided our world since 1945.
In November 1991, one of these people, Janet Ferguson, became one of the first Kalamazoo ambassadors to Russia. Janet was the Director of the Council of International Programs (CIP) within Western Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Janet traveled to Leningrad to attend a conference that would help inform Russian municipal officials about practices within U.S. city governments. Ferguson, and the other citizen ambassadors were taken, as a matter of protocol, to Pushkin.
Because Pushkin approximated Kalamazoo in population and commercial enterprise, Ferguson invited Pushkin officials to a CIP exchange program to learn about city government in a democracy, specifically here in Kalamazoo. Within two months, in early 1992, city officials from Pushkin came to Kalamazoo for 10 days. The Pushkin guests expressed a desire “to establish a long-term contact on issues of mutual interest between the two cities.” Then-Kalamazoo Mayor, Edward Annen, said the city would send a delegation to the Soviet Union later that year.
This gave birth to the Kalamazoo—Pushkin Partnership (KPP), a sister-city-type agreement signed by both city officials in Pushkin at the end of 1992, beginning of 1993. This document cited “our common interests to develop positive relations between the peoples and governments of Russia and the United States of America.”
In 1993 nearly a dozen Kalamazooans traveled to Pushkin. Many of this initial group are still active with the KRCA today: Jackie Howlett, Garrylee McCormick, Betty Lee Ongley, Helen Palleschi, Jerolyn Selkirk, and Mike Stoline. These folks saw an opportunity to offer humanitarian aid to the people of Pushkin. Teaming with Physicians for Social Responsibility, this group assembled 12.5 tons of medical items valued at US $287,000, shipped the items to Pushkin, and personally accompanied their delivery to Hospital #38 in Pushkin. It was a real people-to-people campaign.
The humanitarian shipments continued until 1997 when Pushkin didn’t need these items any more…. but the people-to-people campaign continues today. In 2010, a contingent of 22 members traveled to Tsarskoe Selo to help celebrate the city’s 300th anniversary. In 2011, The Kalamazoo-Pushkin Partnership changed its name to the Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association (KRCA). The association has designed and conducted many events, including the Annual Kalamazoo Russian Festival since 1995, bringing Russian culture to our local community and introducing our visitors from Pushkin to thousands of Americans. In 2020 unfortunately, due to Covid-19, our festival was canceled.
Guests from Pushkin are typically recognized by the Mayor of Kalamazoo, introduced to the City Commission, provided with tours highlighting the community, and given the opportunity to experience a week of home-hosted living in the USA. Representatives from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., have also attended our festivals and the children of Embassy personnel performed as a choir at our 2015 festival. We have also had the honor of welcoming the University of St. Petersburg choir and other musicians to Kalamazoo.
KRCA has a special connection with students, faculty, and administration from School 606 in Pushkin, who visited Kalamazoo in 2016 and 2018. These thirty-two guests stayed in members’ homes, spent several days in local high schools, dressed up in costumes for Halloween, took turns flying in a private prop-plane, visited a fish hatchery, toured local museums, experienced life in an Amish school, home and farm and enjoyed many other activities during their stay. They also performed at our annual Russian Festival to very appreciative crowds. Their visit in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The KRCA is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the following mission: The Kalamazoo Russian Cultural Association promotes strong bonds of international friendship and respect among the people of Kalamazoo (USA), its partnership city of Pushkin (Russia) and other locations of Russian heritage. We seek to create relationships by facilitating and encouraging exploration of our respective cultures, by engaging local people of Russian and Eastern European heritage, and by sharing their rich traditions, art, music, and literature with our community.
Visit us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/search/posts?q=kalamazoo%20russian%20cultural%20association
