Just as citizens in Europe and the U.K. have heroically supported displaced Ukrainians by opening up their homes or securing other housing, assisting with school enrollments, employment needs, and language learning, Americans now have the opportunity via the Welcome.us Sponsor Circles program to directly help newly arrived Ukrainians. The United States has committed to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians temporarily for a period of two-years and the ability to apply for employment authorization in the U.S. as long as they have a U.S.-based sponsor to petition for them.
Almost any individual or group can apply to sponsor Ukrainians. Sponsors may be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or other lawfully present individuals. This includes Ukrainian Americans, immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), recently arrived refugees, and other everyday Americans, like you! Nonprofits, educational institutions, and employers can also help sponsor people fleeing Ukraine.
Sponsorship is a deep commitment, but a transformative one for both you and those you welcome. You are changing lives and strengthening your community and country. You don’t have to do it alone. Sponsorship can be most successful, and most joyful, when it is done in a community of friends, family, and colleagues. The Welcome.us website has detailed information to answer your FAQs, and includes interactive tutorials and checklists.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of State has recently announced the launch of the Welcome Corps, a new private sponsorship program that empowers everyday Americans to play a leading role in welcoming refugees from around the world, arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). This program is intended to engage the public in supporting the resettlement and integration of refugees as they build new lives in the United States. To learn more about this new program click the link below:
The American Dream via the Darien Pass
When I was in high school, I was fascinated by geography, and it struck me that there was a highway that I could hop on in my car and drive all the way down into South America. As an imaginative young girl growing up on the Texas-Mexico border, the idea of a road that could take me from my sleepy border town, Laredo, Texas, to the edge of the world in South America, left me awe struck. In high school I learned that this highway is called the Pan-American Highway.
Inviting others to help write a story of success
I quickly realized that in order for my friend Jahan to re-establish her upended art career, she would need some help from a local artist. Enter Ann Marie Coolick, an artist from Arlington, Virginia.
Casa Alitas Welcomes All
Tucson, and other cities, do so much more when they connect with charities such as Catholic Community Services’ Casa Alitas program. Everywhere you look you can see artwork that brightens the place and further welcomes people. And economically it helps both the city and its citizens.