From the FIUTS Archives: Operation Goodwill

Article in the Chehalis Advocate

November 24, 1960

In the early nineteen fifties, FIUTS was part of a special program called Operation Goodwill. Each Thanksgiving, 30-40 international students studying in Seattle traveled to Chehalis, Washington to spend the holiday with local families. The focus was straightforward. Bring people together. Expose both students and members of the community to different lives and perspectives. Create opportunities for conversation and shared experience.

The program ran from nineteen fifty two into the nineteen sixties. In Chehalis, Reverend George Shuman of Westminster Presbyterian Church and members of Rotary International coordinated local participation and host families. In Seattle, FIUTS recruited students and prepared them for the visit, while Chehalis church and community leaders organized train transportation, placed the students with host families, and created the schedule of weekend activities.

In the Daily Chronicle

November 1961

By nineteen sixty one, Operation Goodwill was in its ninth year. On November twenty five of that year, the Chehalis Daily Chronicle published a feature article documenting the visit. Large photographs showed international students and Chehalis families sharing meals and time together over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The program included several community activities. Students attended a local high school football game and participated in a public “international show”, where they shared music, performances, and stories from their home countries.

Students also visited local industrial sites and places of historic interest in and around Chehalis. These visits offered a window into the region and created space for conversation about work, history, and daily life.

Thank you note

From Abdur-Rahman S. Rasul, Iraq, 1953

Operation Goodwill is one example of how FIUTS has long connected international students with communities beyond campus. These early programs shaped the organization’s approach to exchange, emphasizing relationships, curiosity, and learning through experience.

From the FIUTS Archives is an effort to document FIUTS programs from earlier decades. Together, these stories help trace how our work has evolved while staying grounded in the same mission - to advance international understanding in our community, and to engage students and others in shared experiences that promote peace and goodwill between people and nations.

Do you have a FIUTS memory you’d like to share? Reach out to info@fiuts.org and we’ll share it with the whole community!