It is not appropriate to give my opinion on candidates for office other than to state the obvious on the issue generally: “Immigrants and refugees are good for America!”

More than continuing our country’s legacy of being the “land of immigrants,” independent research studies repeatedly show that, generally, New Americans give back to America more than they get in initial support. That is true regarding taxes paid, investments, entrepreneurship, business startups, and home ownership. By and large, they become the “solid citizens” we want them to be very quickly.  

After I appear on local media, I sometimes see responses on social media like, “Why don’t they go live at your house?” in the comments section. Since the republic's founding, while America prides itself on being welcoming, there has always been a vocal minority who have been less than helpful by offering these sorts of remarks instead of solutions.

Immigration reform is neither a Republican issue nor a Democrat issue; this is an American issue. We can all agree that the best thing we can do is solve this problem sooner rather than later. I encourage you to ask candidates about their views on immigration and vote accordingly.

Our New American Integration department (NAI) is happy to have a new team member, Baby Maple Dawn Paulazzo! The name Maple stands for balance and generosity in Celtic mythology. She was born on July 19th to parents Ashley (NAI Program Manager) and Justin (Community Outreach Manager). We wish the entire family well!

Recently, we started spotlighting the people who make IIB great in a special publication during the middle of every month instead of including it in this newsletter. We did that to recognize and appropriately celebrate these folks without burying it along with all the information we had to share in this newsletter. If you get a chance, take a look! 

Summer is still here, and if you missed it, we put together a summer safety information flyer in the top languages spoken in the area. Feel free to download and distribute these flyers as you see fit. They are in Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dari, English, Karen, Pashto, Somali, Spanish, and Ukrainian. Safety is important no matter what language you speak. The URL is iibuffalo.org/news/summer-safety-info.

Over the next few months, we will see an uptick in refugee resettlements of more than 50 percent over what we expected during this fiscal year! Given this unprecedented number, we can sure use your help furnishing their first American homes and stocking them with life’s necessities. During the summer months, we could use electric fans to keep our clients cool and umbrellas to keep them out of the sun or rain. We could also use soccer balls, new bedding, and new towels!

If you could help us out now, we’d appreciate it. Check out our social media pages for the most up-to-date donation needs and volunteer opportunities. We are also looking for landlords to help us with dwellings for our New American Clients. If your student group, civic organization, church, or workplace wants to coordinate a donation drive on our behalf, please do so by contacting us!

While the Taste of Diversity was rainy, we braved the elements and also had a robust showing as we hosted the Taste of Buffalo Community Table tent. There are plenty of ways to volunteer, please click here to review the different ways.

In July, we helped welcome 44 New Americans from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Canada, Congo, Cyprus, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Jamaica, Korea, South Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Yemen at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony in Buffalo.

Since the publication of our last newsletter, we also welcomed an additional group of 45 New Americans from 28 countries in the patriotic surroundings aboard the USS Little Rock, located on Buffalo’s waterfront.  

In the Media

Almost 20 years ago, we resettled Karina Krantz and her family as refugees from Ukraine. Recently, WKBW TV featured Karina as a successful business owner of a shop that features Eastern European delicacies, organic foods, and additional products sourced from local farmers and businesses. She was also featured on WIVB's Daytime Buffalo discussing how customers can round up their purchases and donate to the International Institute of Buffalo at the checkout counter. 

Employment Services

If you are an employer looking for hard-working and motivated individuals to fill your ranks, please contact us!

Eleven new clients enrolled in our Professional Pathway Program in July. This program assists highly skilled clients with various needs, such as job readiness, degree evaluation, recertification, enrollment in advanced English classes, or continuing their academic journey.

Also, 16 newly arrived clients graduated from our Job Club, which offered presentations in three different languages. Our Job Club program covers essential topics like resume building, interview skills, and job search strategies. Additionally, we brought in M&T Bank for financial literacy education, an informative library tour hosted by the Downtown Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, a refugee health session presented by our IIB Education department, and a worker’s rights session presented by the NYS Department of Labor.

M&T Bank representatives returned to IIB for another M&T Bank accounts opening day for our clients. The Department of Motor Vehicles also returned to provide onsite DMV services for clients and staff at IIB. Learn more about how we connect workers with potential employers.

International Exchanges and Education

If you're looking for an August activity for your kids after summer camp ends, our Global Kids programs teach children about other cultures and countries through dance, crafts, music, stories, and other interactive activities. Sessions run from 45 to 60 minutes, depending on availability. Please contact mshogan@iibuff.org for more information.

Our department recently conducted a refugee health session on Personal Wellness for Buffalo Public School's Adult Learning Center, led by students from D'Youville's Physical Therapy department. The group had hands-on lessons about nutrition and exercise.

We also recently conducted a cultural competency training session at the Schiller Park Senior Center. During a lively discussion, participants learned about diversity in WNY and how to better interact with their neighbors.

The department has also been preparing for the arrival of many international visitors in August. 

Our Open World program enhances understanding and cooperation between the United States, post-Soviet Bloc countries, and Eurasia. We will soon be hosting visitors from Poland as they study the topic of Combating Misinformation.

The International Visitors Leadership Program connects emerging leaders globally with their professional peers in the United States. Visitors from the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal will come to Buffalo to study Ending Gender-Based Violence.

Visitors from the United Kingdom will research Youth Empowerment and Civic Engagement.

Finally, more visitors from Poland will explore the Holocaust and Human Rights Education. Learn more about how our International Exchanges and Education team increases knowledge and understanding in our community.   

New American Integration

Our number for resettlement has gone from 330 to 496 refugees. The difference of 166 people represents a 50.3 percent increase of the department's original number for this fiscal year, which ends on September 30!

Through the end of July, we had 17 cases arriving, comprising 62 people from Afghanistan, Colombia, and Congo. The vast majority were Afghans who assisted our military and who have been awaiting resettlement. They are arriving on short notice, sometimes only a few days. In one instance, we received notice that a family of 10 was coming in less than 24 hours!

The entire NAI team is working together to find and prepare housing, meet New American arrivals at the airport, and closely guide them through the resettlement process. This includes English classes and employment enrollment for adults, providing community orientation, school enrollments for children, learning about public transportation, and meeting the needs of those who have complex medical conditions that require more assistance.

Learn more about how our New American Integration team makes an impact!  

Interpreting & Translation

We are currently recruiting new linguists in Somali, Pashto, and Turkish. Click to apply or to learn more about the opportunities. Click here to view our workshop calendar.

Our Interpreting team received 1,559 requests to provide interpreting services in 49 languages. Many of these requests were for Buffalo Public Schools students taking the State Regents exams. The Interpreting team continues to offer onsite interpretation, on-demand phone, and audio/video remote services in over 85 different languages. To request interpreting services, email interpretation@iibuff.org.

The Translation team completed 106 individual projects last month. Most of these projects were translated into Buffalo’s top ten languages for the area’s richly diverse schools, government agencies, tourist attractions, and local employers throughout WNY. Individual projects included, but were not limited to, personal documents, human resource documents such as employee onboarding materials, legal documents, and genealogy research. For questions about document translation projects of any size, email translation@iibuff.org.  

Come Work with Us!

If you want a career instead of a job, how about considering us as your next step? Please take a look at our careers page.