Explore Finnish businesses and organizations in Washington serving your community. Find law firms, medical practices, restaurants, retail stores, nonprofits, cultural organizations, and community services owned by or dedicated to serving the Finnish community. Connect with establishments that understand your cultural values and provide services in your language.
The honorary consulates augment Finland’s network of diplomatic missions, made up of embassies, consulate generals, consulates and other liaison offices. An honorary consulate is headed by an honorary consul. Honorary consuls are private individuals who take care of their tasks on a part-time basis without remuneration.
Within the scope of a specific geographical area, an honorary consul monitors the rights of Finns and foreigners permanently residing in Finland. He or she provides advice and guidance for distressed Finnish citizens and foreigners permanently residing in Finland who are temporarily abroad, assisting them in their contacts with local authorities or the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate. Certain types of notarized certificates can be acquired through an honorary consul. Honorary consuls do not accept passport applications nor do they handle matters pertaining to visas or residence permits. Honorary consuls cannot serve as attorneys in judicial proceedings or as legal advisers.
Together with diplomatic missions, an honorary consul promotes economic and cultural relations between Finland and the country in question, and takes part in strengthening Finland’s image abroad. An honorary consul can advise Finnish companies, for instance, in obtaining information about local business culture and in finding cooperation partners.
Jurisdiction covers the States of Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Since 1982, the Naselle Finnish American Folk Festival has celebrated Finnish culture, local history, and community collaboration. This is a chance to showcase local craftspeople, experience performers from Finland and the United States, indulge in traditional cuisine, and learn about the Finnish-American heritage of the greater Naselle area.
The Swedish Finn Historical Society was founded in 1991 by descendants of Swedish-speaking emigrants from Finland interested in preserving the cultural heritage of their families. There are now about 700 members from around the world in this unique organization.
Our mission is to gather and preserve the emigration history of Swedish Finns across the world, connect Swedish Finns to their roots in Finland, and celebrate our cultural heritage.
Our goal is to document every Swedish Finn emigrant, archive related materials, and fund a permanent home for these items in perpetuity. We will continue to celebrate our Swedish Finn heritage wherever descendants are located.
Finlandia Foundation National was founded by Yrjö A. Paloheimo on January 21, 1953 in Southern California. The idea to form an organization to nurture ties with Finland and promote a sense of Finnishness for younger generations in the U.S. was first conceived by Paloheimo in 1945. However, it took him eight years to gather enough interested individuals to form the first of the current 58 chapters in the national organization.
The Foundation’s mission is to promote Finnish-American culture in the United States and ancestral ties with Finland. The National Chapter celebrated its 60th anniversary in March 2013 in Pasadena, California.
The Finlandia Foundation Suomi Chapter was founded in 2010 and three of the founding members are still active and with the board: Tapio Holma, Asko Hamalainen, and Brend Hunt-Holma. FFSC serves as the local Finlandia Foundation chapter for Whatcom, Skagit, and Island Counties.
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.”
