We’re wrapping up 2023 with our community, welcoming new friends to Akron, and a whole lot of gratitude. And while there is so much unrest we are witnessing around the world, we know that our community is at the forefront of helping our new neighbors find hope and belonging here in Akron and Summit County. Check out how we’re coming together as a community in our November newsletter below.
November at the Institute
This past month, IIA staff welcomed 54 new individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Sudan, El Salvador, and Afghanistan coming to Akron to make our community home. Our resettlement case workers worked diligently and tirelessly to prepare housing, cultural orientation, and more for our newest clients.
On November 9th, IIA celebrated 50 of our community's newest U.S. citizens from 22 different countries with a naturalization ceremony at Akron Public Library. This ceremony marked the culmination of years of work these individuals put into becoming U.S. citizens. We could not be more proud of these individuals, and it was an honor to be a part of such a beautiful day.
This month of gratitude, IIA staff celebrated with a Thanksgiving lunch on Wednesday, November 22nd. We had a lovely afternoon enjoying good food and good people before the long holiday weekend.
Get Involved
During the holidays, we have a couple of great ways for our community to get involved in our work and help support our mission.
Belonging Begins With Us Fundraising Campaign: As we bid farewell to 2023, we have one final request for our devoted supporters. We aspire to raise $20,000 by January 15th to sustain our comprehensive services for refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers arriving in 2024. These funds will bolster essential programs such as our resettlement services, ESL and citizenship classes, employment services, intensive case management, legal services, and more. Your support is vital as we anticipate the resettlement of 500 refugees in the coming year, marking the highest number of new arrivals in Akron since 2016. If you’d like to make a contribution, you can do so by clicking the button below! Thank you for your unwavering support.
Host a Donation Drive: Are you a part of an organization, community group, church, or business and looking for a way to get involved? Consider hosting a donation drive on behalf of IIA! As we prepare to welcome 500 refugees to Akron in 2024, there are essential needs required for each individual, such as bedding, pots and pans, hygiene products, and more. If you’d like to host a donation drive to support our new neighbors or are interested in learning more, please contact kevin.walter@iiakron.org.
Recommendation Corner
Human Rights Day and Immigrant Influence on National Holidays
As we near the holiday season, we would like to share some resources and information regarding refugees and immigrants’ impact on American traditional holidays to shine a light on the history of these holidays that may not be commonly known.
Did you know that the famous Christmas song White Christmas was written by a Russian immigrant who practiced Judaism, Irvin Berlin? Did you also know that one in five Medal of Honor recipients in the US Military is an immigrant? An article written by The Immigrant Learning Center highlights the history and development of immigrant influences on holidays celebrated here in the United States. This covers a variety of holidays, including Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Labor Day, Halloween, and more. Each of these holidays includes histories or other aspects that have been created by immigrants.
Enjoy this fascinating article by clicking here.
Human Rights Day is December 10th. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the declaration of Human Rights Day. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) declared December 10th to be Human Rights Day after the aftermath of World War II in 1948, and since then, over 50 countries have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Click on the image below to view a video about this initiative.
Thanks for staying up to date on everything IIA, and we look forward to sharing more information soon!