9/10/2012

From:                Kim Curlee, President, GSI International

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

To:                   Our Square Dance Friends

Hello SQUARE DANCE FRIENDS,

We write this letter to thank you for your fellowship, your time and work towards our shared goal—the preservation and promotion of our wonderful and historic pastime of square dancing.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF GRAND SQUARE INTERNATIONAL?

Our purpose at GSI International is to connect square dancers everywhere—all around the world. Our efforts are organized to contribute positively to our activity by enhancing friendships and promoting the activity so that it may survive for generations to come.

We travel the world and communicate with square dance organizations of all sizes and do our very best to serve them in a number of ways.

THE GRAND SQUARE INTERNATIONAL STORY

Grand Square, Inc. evolved out of two things—passion and need. Our founders had a true passion for square dancing on all levels—from grass roots get togethers to large state and national events. The need for another organiza­tion to carry-on and promote our pastime—an organization of any size, location and determination, was and is—still clear. So we organized in Charlotte, NC and went to work organizing and dancing and such—in 2001.

Fast-forward through twelve years of hard work, incredible fun, thousands of road, air and sea miles and nu­merous friendships made worldwide, and we have a clear focal point for our efforts, one of many, but crystal clear: and that point is training. GSI has hosted dances, sponsored dances, created awareness of and participated in events of all sizes, with organizations of all sorts, and through it all, it has become evident to us that to reverse the decline of our proud and beneficial activity, training those at the helm for the decades ahead—callers, organizers and top-level dancers—is just what we have to do. Quickly and efficiently. And again, with passion, so that the passion is handed down to a new group of enthusiasts.

There is something at the core of square dancing that connects people. And in that connection, participants be­come community. It was a natural progression that in organizing numbers of friends and neighbors—whether they are separated by a mile or an ocean—they became friends and family. It was during the shock of Hurricane Katrina, which displaced hundreds of thousands in the Gulf Coast area of the USA, among them thousands of square dancers—that the additional benefits of these new connections did their best. We rallied, we raised a tremendous amount of awareness, and funds and did something that truly amazed us all. We did immediate good—good that even our seemingly paralyzed government did not. And that was just the beginning. When Japan was devastated by the worst Tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster in recent memory, our connections spanned continents and currencies to strengthen the bonds of an in­ternational group of friends, non-political, non-denominational, and simply emerging as something worthwhile, this

time through Grand Square INTERNATIONAL, and dozens of GSI World Leaders in distant areas of the world. We connected. We did good.

Where in the world is GSI International? Well, we’re proud to say that our flag flies in countries that we never imagined we would have the pleasure of working with, and if you’ve ever visited our home office in Charlotte, NC, you may think you were visiting the United Nations. We have the luxury of spreading a positive message, and of a wonderful group of GSI Leaders (who are also leaders in their own countries and organizations) who you simply must meet. The best way to chart our progress is to visit this link on our web page which introduces our leaders from around the world. It’s here at: www.GSIInternational.org/gsileaders.

From day one, we have been on a mission. In the US, we applied for and received 501 © 3 non-profit status (charitable) so that we might “Protect and Preserve the Great American Heritage of Square Dancing.” This dance, and the many variations of it, are, of course, a world treasure, and we have found it increasingly beneficial to invite dancers from around the world to the US, and visit clubs and organizations and connect dancers from all areas of the world with our own group of participants in building a new foundation for generations of dancers to enjoy.

GSI International is single-minded—raise awareness and funds to promote our activity. When we began to reach out internationally and work with groups and organizations worldwide, our work was and remains intended to help those groups and the areas they operate in. When we help raise money for a GSI International event in any coun­try, those funds benefit the same country. We’re proud to give help—and receive help—around the world.

GSI in non-profit—we’ve established that—but did you know that our (extremely busy AND talented) World Leaders are VOLUNTEERS? We can’t believe it either. We’re fortunate to know these fine folk, and the activity is so much the better because of their generosity.

In terms of square dancing, which has been around for nearly three centuries, and major national clubs, some of which are 20-30-40-50 years and counting, GSI is just plain new. Yet we’ve accomplished a tremendous amount in our twelve years. Some of our most notable accomplishments include membership in the JSDA, ECTA and a wonderful, supportive relationship with CALLERLAB. In addition, you’ll find our first decade encapsulated in an archive requested by and on display at the New England Foundation of Square Dancing—America’s first and foremost museum of our ac­tivity.

We at GSI are humbled, proud, excited and inspired by our accomplishments and now turn our attention to the future and the needs of more education for callers, organizers and clinics around the world.

GSI IS ON THE MOVE WORLDWIDE

In early April 2012, GSI World Leaders from Europe, Japan, the US and many other countries got together in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Our agenda was to form a plan to serve the square dancers of all countries by fostering the training and development of key entertainers—new square dance callers. This is essential to the future of square danc­ing.

In our first GSI World Leaders meeting, we knew that first we must all get to know each other, so that we might better serve the world’s square dancers as a unified group. Our first agreed function as a group is this: we have one specific program in mind to connect square dancers —by enhancing friendship.

We’re proud to confidently say that this function is well underway.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GSI—IN ANY LANGUAGE—ON OUR WEBSITE