Moving can be an exciting time. A new home. A new school. New neighbors to meet. New streets to explore.
Now imagine if you were moving to a new country where you didn’t speak the language, everything felt strange and different, and you were carrying all your belongings. The uncertainty of where to go to take care of your most basic needs – food, shelter, employment – would be overwhelming.
The Immigrant Welcome Center was created to calm those fears and ease the transition for immigrant newcomers to Indianapolis. Through a dedicated group of volunteers – our Natural Helpers – we help people connect to the basic services they need to get their new lives off to a good start, setting them on the path to being self-sufficient in their new country.
The reward for the Natural Helper is making a difference in someone’s life, but there also is a reward for the community-at-large. Offering underserved immigrants and refugees a helping hand leads to an improved quality of life and successful acculturation within our community, thereby building the self-esteem and self-sufficiency of immigrants and refugees. With this self-sufficiency comes a rise in the economic, cultural, civic and social vitality of Indianapolis that all residents and visitors enjoy. A truly multiethnic city is attractive to corporations that lure talented professionals from all over the world and enhances our city's status as an international destination.
I hope you will join the Immigrant Welcome Center as a Natural Helper, a volunteer or a sponsor and join us in saying, “Welcome Home!” to our newest residents.
Amy Minick Peterson
Founder and Board President