May has been a beautiful month in which the IIA team could share our pride in our work with the greater Akron community. Additionally, we welcomed 17 new refugee individuals from Nicaragua, Burma, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Below, read about our Open House recap, upcoming events in Akron, how to get involved, and more!
IIA Open House
Friday, May 10th, IIA hosted an Open House for the Akron and Summit County community to visit our new space in downtown Akron. We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support our work in Akron’s immigrant community, and we were honored to share our space with you all for an afternoon of fun!
Special thank you to Summit County Executive, Ilene Shapiro, and City of Akron Mayor, Shammas Malik, for attending the Open House and sharing a few words about our work in the community
We would also like to express our gratitude to three outstanding Mexican restaurants, which graciously donated all the food provided at the Open House. We highly recommend supporting them and trying more of their tasty food options!
- Dos Coronas – 809 W. Main St, Ravenna, OH 44266
- La Terraza Mexican Bar & Grill – 3975 Cascades Blvd, Kent, OH 44240
- Alejandro’s Amigos Taqueria – 4147 Bridgewater Pkwy, Stow, OH 44224
May Recommendation Corner
Netflix’s Warrior
This month for IIA’s recommendation corner and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we would like to showcase a Netflix action series called Warrior.
Warrior is a unique series that chronicles the journey of Ah Sahm, a Chinese immigrant and martial artist, as he navigates the complex world of San Francisco in the 19th century. His path intertwines with a powerful, organized crime family, leading to a thrilling confrontation with rival Chinatown gangs.
This series has been rated high by IMDb & Rotten Tomato critics with its intense fighting scenes and true-crime events. Warrior is a crime drama with graphic scenes and should be viewed with discretion.
Upcoming Events in Akron
World Refugee Day: In partnership with the Refugee Health Task Force of Summit County and Immigration Network-Akron, celebrate and honor Akron's robust refugee and immigrant community with food, games, and family fun on Saturday, June 22nd from 11am-3pm at Waters Park (140 Olive St, Akron, OH). Learn more at: https://services.akronlibrary.org/event/10705075
Juneteenth: Leading up to Juneteenth, there will be a plethora of events to take part in throughout Akron. Learn more about all the fun happenings at: https://www.downtownakron.com/explore/juneteenth
Teacher Appreciation Lunch!
Friday, May 17th, in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, IIA hosted our amazing teachers for an appreciation lunch! We’re so lucky to have an outstanding group of individuals teaching our immigrant community English classes, bus training, and citizenship classes, and we’re so grateful for all that they do.
Thanks for staying up to date on everything IIA, and we look forward to sharing more information soon!