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MISSION
The International Immigrants Foundation's mission is
to help immigrant families and children to achieve their aspirations for
a better life in the United States. The organization addresses its
mission by providing direct support to promote positive inter-cultural
relations.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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coming soon!