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International
Immigrants Foundation
Guiding Leading, empowering since 1973
1435 Broadway,NY, New York 10018 - (212)302-2222
HELP us HELP Immigrants HELP Themselves
MISSION:
The mission of the International Immigrants Foundation is to help immigrant families and children achieve their aspirations for a better life in the United States as well as to promote positive intercultural relations and change negative perceptions.
TEARS
The dedicated work of the International Immigrants Foundation, founded in 1973 by Mr. Edward Juarez-Pagliocco, takes its inspiration from the tears, struggles, and travails of those brave and fearless pilgrims who came to America in search of freedom, compassion, and tolerance and laid the foundation of our great and glorious Nation…. the first immigrants.
Like the men and women of past generations, today’s immigrants provide the endless flow of talents, initiative, ideals, and creative abilities that enrich and strengthen the fabric of American society.
These newcomers represent more than a continuation of America's tradition as a nation of immigrants; more than a reinvigoration of that extraordinary diversity that gives us our national identity and distinguishes American culture from all others; more than a symbol of the enduring power of the founding principles of equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We strongly believe that today's immigrants are a vivid expression of America's spiritual destiny to pave the way for the emergence of a global culture…..a goal animated by a deep humanitarianism and compassion for the needs of others and inspired by our Founding Fathers' ideal of "unity in diversity".
We also believe that the road to this destiny goes through a cycle of tears, struggles, and dreams.
The transition from one phase to another, from struggle to achievement, is far from easy. At the expense of great personal sacrifice, these courageous immigrants leave behind their families, friends, and natural surroundings to face the daunting challenges of an uncertain and risky future in a foreign land.
Unfortunately, the majority of immigrants lack the indispensable direction, know-how and education they so desperately need in order to develop their full potential as responsible and productive members of our society.
STRUGGLES
Regrettably, our nation’s harmony and well-being are dangerously threatened by the discrimination, racism, prejudice and anti-immigrant sentiment that still plague our society.
These societal ills are direct results of the lack of knowledge of the cultures that are part of our nation - a lack that is mainly triggered by US voters' inadequate exposure to world cultures in their educational curriculum, especially prior to 1990.
Unfortunately, very little progress has been made toward correcting this deep-seated problem still rooted in our national psyche. The fact that in 1996 the U.S. Congress passed legislation curtailing the rights of immigrants is a strong indication of this phenomenon.
Some of the major problems caused by the INS Acts of 1996, and their "inadmissibility" provisions, include the following:
- Endless and unnecessary physical, emotional, and psychological hardship to countless US citizens, legal permanent citizens, and their loved ones;
- A devastating bias in housing, health, education, and care of the elderly;
- The cruel separation of families, whose members are forced to leave the US from 3 to 10 years;
The creation of a clandestine sub-culture of over 6 million "undocumented" human beings living in constant fear of deportation in our own neighborhoods.
Fulfilling The DREAMS… The International Immigrants Foundation’s role: guiding, leading, empowering
In an effort to provide a solution to these problems, the International Immigrants Foundation embarked, in 1973, on its long and arduous undertaking of helping immigrant families by providing a congenial and supportive environment to assist them in vital areas of their life and help them achieve their goals by realizing their fullest potential.
In more practical terms, the International Immigrants Foundation:
Guides immigrants by providing the educational tools and resources that enlighten their path toward the realization of both their dreams and those of their family and friends;
Leads immigrants by pointing the way and opening the right doors to the knowledge and expertise they seek while protecting their genuine interests;
Empowers immigrants by providing factual, legal, and professional advice that specifically addresses their individual needs and particular situation in a fashion that sustains the efforts, hopes, and dreams that brought them to America
The International Immigrants Foundation makes accessible to immigrants from all cultures, race, religion, and social status, orientation and direct immigration, naturalization, and settlement counseling.
These programs and initiatives are geared toward a desperately needed mass education campaign that gives immigrants the necessary preparation and know-how about procedures on issues of relevance to their new role in our dynamic society.
Program services to members are provided in such areas as:
Legalization and naturalization & voters registration
housing, employment, health care and education
establishing a good credit record
government, civic and social services
seminars and networking
The Foundation takes new immigrants by the hand and guides them through the process that leads from becoming legally permanent residents through productive citizens to actively involved registered voters.
BUILDING BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING
In addition to direct counseling and referral services to immigrants and new Americans, the International Immigrants Foundation has developed programs of inclusion that raise public awareness for the need to foster positive inter-cultural relations in our society. The Foundation’s programs include the Annual International Cultures Parade and Celebration, Expo-Fest, the International Cultures Conference and Star of Harmony Award at the United Nations, and Passport to the World at various cultural centers throughout New York City.
The International Cultures Celebration presents participants with opportunities to help change negative perceptions while highlighting the positive contributions of the multicultural communities that make up the people of America.
The Celebration programs trace their origin to the pioneering work of Mr. Edward Juarez Pagliocco. In the early 1980s, Mr. Juarez invited the leadership of umbrella socio-cultural organizations to meet for the first time in the history of New York, set aside all social and political differences, and start a dialogue together to develop a series of events to promote positive intercultural relations. At that time, the mere thought of bringing together so many groups with such differences frightened politicians. In fact, at the time the Mayor's office believed that bringing the City's segregated communities together "may cause bloodshed".
Thanks to the foresight, determination, and struggles of the Foundation’s founding members, today’s programs continue to educate individuals and community leaders while serving as bridges between populations from various cultural backgrounds
The International immigrants Foundation brings leaders from European, Asian, Latino, Chinese, Polish, Caribbean, and other cultural communities to celebrate together in an environment of mutual respect and harmony in order to foster positive intercultural relations. As a result of these programs, for instance, Turks, Greeks, and Macedonians, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Jews and Arabs, mainland Chinese and Taiwanese, Indians and Sikhs, and other cultural groups pool their resources to produce effective programs that promote unity from diversity.
The Foundation bring together the leadership of various ethnic communities for cultural exchange experiences; and organize the series of supervised monthly meetings with a group of leading representatives from over 100 ethnic communities who collectively form the Multicultural Coalition.
The goal of the monthly meetings is to sustain an ongoing dialogue between representatives from several community-based organizations about problems and issues that are faced by immigrant and new American communities.
Another major step in the process of building multicultural dialogue was taken in 1998 through the MEDIA Executives Networking Meetings, a series of regular monthly meetings with prominent members of the main stream and ethnic media and community leaders.
The main objective of these meetings is to recognize and encourage the role of the media as a powerful instrument of fostering socially responsible solutions to problems threatening our society.
HELP US HELP IMMIGRANTS HELP THEMSELVES
To keep our programs and initiatives going, we must ask for your support. With your generous donation we will continue to sustain our role of helping immigrants make the transition from a life of tears and struggle to one of promise and fulfillment.
Your contribution will go a long way in helping us make the dreams of our immigrants a reality, in giving them a sense of direction, and making them feel appreciated and accepted in a society that has become increasingly hostile.
If you recognize the valuable contribution immigrants make to our marvelous nation, please act now. You sustained support for helping us reduce fear and ignorance, stimulate the importance of cultural understanding, and reach our goals is critical.
Without your generosity we simply could not continue to combat the kind of racism, prejudice, discrimination and anti-immigrant sentiment that makes life for our new Americans unfairly challenging and insurmountable.
Thank you for sharing our vision. Your sensitivity to our cause is a befitting tribute to the prevailing spirit of hope and compassion that ever motivates our goals and aspirations.
[ ] ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CULTURES CELEBRATION
The Annual INTERNATIONAL CULTURES CELEBRATION is a series of three high profile events aimed at helping promote positive intercultural relations by recognizing and celebrating the contributions of New York’s multicultural communities in education, commerce, entertainment, and the arts. The Celebration takes place in Mid-town NYC from the 3rd Sunday of June to the 2nd Sunday of September.
INTERNATIONAL CULTURES EXPO-FEST (3rd Sunday of June - Celebration Opening - Madison Ave. Bet. 57th to 37th St) is a yearly event of inclusion dedicated exclusively to bringing together the cultural and commercial sector of the world and our multicultural communities through a celebration of global cultures.
INTERNATIONAL CULTURES PARADE (2nd Sunday - Madison Ave. Bet. 41st & 23rd St.) is a unique educational and cultural experience that offers commercial and cultural sectors opportunities to promote Americas tradition of Unity In Diversity through a cultural “trip around the world in one day.”
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