The hosts of the night were Grace and Guy Pilato. They have been active in the IHC for four years, acting as a host family for numerous international students. Grace Pilato, who teaches Italian cooking out of her home, coordinated the dinner for all 125 patrons.
Members of the community as well as many local businesses donated the majority of the food and drink for the evening. The wait staff consisted primarily of volunteers from the council. Because of the large amount of local support, the majority of the money collected will directly benefit the IHC.
The event had a very successful turnout, IHC Executive Director Nan Uhl said. All 125 seats were sold in three days. This is the second year for the fundraising dinner, and Uhl hopes it will become an annual event.
Money raised by the dinner will go toward language programs, host families and to help pay for international students who travel to local schools to speak about their language and culture.
These programs include host families, friendship programs and conversation partnerships where more than 600 people have been paired as conversation partners. Often times the English-speaking person is a student who is looking to brush up on his or her foreign language skills.
The International Hospitality Council was founded 40 years ago in an effort to help people new to the country adjust. The programs offered are not limited to Penn State students. New members of the community, current students and immigrants can participate.
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