As we close out 2024, I want to sincerely thank IIB team members, board, volunteers, and donors. They have fueled our past successes and will continue to be part of our promising future. However, I am not going to lie to you, the future still has a few question marks for IIB.

Change comes regardless of our wishes. National events over which we have little control will impact us all. For people and institutions who help immigrants and refugees (and the immigrants and refugees themselves), the next few years will bring a lot of change if history and recent political rhetoric are to be believed.    

So, what do we do? We can raise our fists to the sky and rage…and that will change nothing.

Instead, we will do what we have done for over a century—make Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees. IIB’s challenge in 2025 and for the foreseeable future will be to determine what that looks like and accomplish it as effectively and efficiently as possible.   

The fact remains that time and again, research and Buffalo’s own history have proven that immigrants and refugees are good for any community with the foresight to welcome and accept them.   

The International Institute of Buffalo team is still in the middle of a strategic planning process but be assured that the best way to help the foreign-born people who need our help is at the top of our minds. By helping them, we help us all.

So, as we move into 2025, we embrace the coming change. Even if we are not sure what it will be exactly, meaningful progress will not happen without change...and we have no choice.

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 

Executive Director

We know that we ask a lot of you, especially recently. We wouldn’t do it unless it were urgent. Your dedication to helping Buffalo’s refugee and immigrant community is inspiring, and this work simply isn’t possible without your support.

Two generous donors to IIB will match every dollar up to a total of $10,000 to get you to give now! So, contribute what you can to secure your match and help IIB continue this vital work.

Thanks to the 209 volunteers who, since January 2024, donated thousands of hours to IIB by setting up 88 homes, organizing donations, assisting the IIB team at special events, and helping with special projects. Please get in touch with us if you have time on your calendar and some space in your heart to volunteer for us.

You may have seen it on the news or from us, but we are in the middle of unprecedented refugee resettlement surge between now and the end of January. We want to thank the donors and volunteers who answered our recent clarion call for help.

Right now, we need bowls, hangers, pillows, snow shovels, and towels. 

If you or your organization wants to help a refugee by furnishing and stocking their first American home, please contact us at donations@iibuff.org or visit our website for more information.  

We have essential winter weather preparation info in 13 different languages because the cold and snow are not going away anytime soon. Please share these tips!

You can include them in your email signature block, print them out and hang them on the lunchroom bulletin board at work, or put them in your place of worship’s newsletter. You get the idea! Spread them far and wide! Let’s make sure everyone is safe this winter, regardless of their first language.

See the story that aired recently on WKBW Channel 7.

Every month we celebrate some of the folks who are part of our success! Click here to see those we are honoring this month.

50 newly minted Americans took their oaths of citizenship at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services naturalization ceremony recently in Buffalo. They are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan. Burma, Burundi Canada, China, Congo, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Iceland, Laos, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Somalia, South Africa, Syria, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Yemen. We were honored to share this major milestone with them.

From left to right – Petr, Rebecca, donor Sharon Lomison

This month, we welcomed 20 families (83 individuals) from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo and Syria. While many of our newest arrivals were shocked by the snow, our case managers ensured they were prepared by sharing our winter weather preparedness sheets and ensuring all clients got warm clothing and food.

As you saw the Donations section mentioned above, we are so grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support from the community. The refugee families arriving this month were fortunate to have most of their home goods, such as kitchenware, linens, and cleaning supplies, provided to them because of generous Western New Yorkers.

The NAI team acknowledges our fellow IIB team members and friends for helping with apartment setups, including colleagues in Communications, Employment Services, Finance, International Exchanges and Education, Interpreting & Translation, and Philanthropy.

Special thanks to Petr Venkov, who has been carrying endless amounts of boxes containing donations in addition to his regular duties. Finally, a huge thank you to a very special volunteer and supporter, Rebecca Morris-Chatta, who has given so much of her time and resources to help our organization, team, and clients.

 Find out more about what New American Integration is about.

Employment Services

Our Employment Services team placed 17 clients in jobs between November and December.  

In addition, the team recently celebrated the graduation of 30 clients from our Job Club program. Job Club prepares newly arrived refugees to successfully navigate a job search and employment in the American workplace.

The graduates came from diverse backgrounds, speaking languages such as Burmese, Karen, Kibembe, Kinyamulenge, Rohingya, Somali, Spanish, and Swahili. We are incredibly proud of their progress toward securing meaningful employment and successfully integrating into a new culture and environment.

A heartfelt thank you to Lloyd Taco Factory for their support during our December hiring event, which led to nine clients being hired. We are also grateful to Sarah Huynh and her team at M&T Bank for their ongoing partnership, where they teach financial literacy and assist clients in opening accounts, helping them build a solid foundation for future success. However, Sarah and her team went above and beyond by donating essential items like cookware, bedding, and cleaning supplies to help out newly arriving refugees.  

Additionally, we acknowledge the essential role of Mission Ignite, which equipped clients with job search skills, resume-building, and professional communication. All clients who completed the Mission Ignite training received free computers.

Get more information on how our Employment Services team helps build the local economy and trains people to be exceptional employees.

International Exchanges and Education

We recently held a Refugee Health session for IIB's Job Club clients to inform them about resources to navigate the American health system and encourage wellness in everyday life. This hands-on session was led by Dr. Christ Ange Cellino, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy at UB, and pharmacy students on medication literacy topics.

This month, we welcomed two groups of international visitors through the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). These visitors connected with many local resources to share best practices on the following topics:

Visitors from Georgia (pictured above) explored Promoting Volunteerism and Civic Action, meeting with the Service Collaborative of WNY, Roswell Park, and the Erie County Retired Senior Volunteer Program. They also completed a volunteer activity with Habitat for Humanity and were welcomed for dinner at the home of local volunteer hosts.

Saudi Arabian visitors (pictured below) investigated the topic of Educating Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students, meeting with Deaf Access Services, the City of Buffalo ADA Compliance Office, and the University at Buffalo's Accessibility Resources office. 

Finally, we're gearing up for Model UN 2025 on Tuesday, March 18! Please contact communications@iibuff.org if your students want to join this lively and life-changing competition.

Learn more about how our International Exchanges and Education team contributes to greater knowledge and understanding in our community.

Interpreting & Translation

The Interpreting team recently serviced 1,412 requests for interpreting services in 45 languages, which included successfully supporting 318 Spanish requests and 137 Arabic requests. These two languages are consistently the department’s most requested.

If your organization is struggling to support your non-English speaking clientele, connect with us today at interpretation@iibuff.org!

During the same time, the Translation team completed 99 individual projects in November. Individual projects included foreign school documents for enrollment in school for January 2025, community surveys, and vaccine and public health informational flyers.

To request translation services into English or one of the more than 75 foreign languages that we support thanks to our vast pool of talented linguists, contact translation@iibuff.org.

By sourcing talented local interpreters and translators, we can better provide first-rate language access to our community. If you’re multilingual, we are always looking to add quality linguists. Right now, we have a high-priority need for interpreters of Karen, Russian, and Ukrainian. We are also looking for interpreters or Korean, Nepali, and Polish. Click to apply.

For a comprehensive overview of the Interpreting & Translation department’s work, click here! 

Come Work with Us!

If you have a resolution to work at a place with a mission that you can get behind, take a look at our careers page.