History of FFSC

Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter (FFSC) is one of over thirty local units of Finlandia Foundation, and is one of the earliest, one of the largest, and one of the most active. FFSC was born under the guidance of Sylvia Summerland, who in 1965 organized a committee to oversee the formation of a Northwest chapter. She was particularly interested in introducing those in the Greater Seattle area to Finnish art and culture. Indeed, it was her single-minded determination to bring the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra to our area that motivated her to establish a chapter of Finland Foundation in 1968. She clearly felt that the organization was a means to an end, rather than an end in itself — a position reflected in the mission of FFSC: “To promote ethnic cultural activities for the learning of the Finnish language and developing an appreciation of Finnish literature, history, art, and music through lectures, seminars, concerts and programs.”

Read more about the history of the organization in the FFSC History booklet that was published for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of FFSC in 2008.