From the Welcoming Center:
"In fall 2001, PAIRC
conducted a comprehensive study to assess the landscape of the
Philadelphia area’s immigrant service providers. This study found that
the services offered to immigrants were extensive and filled a
significant need. At the same time, however, these services were
fragmented and hard to access. In fact, in an informal survey of these
organizations, all discussed the need for a centralized information
source.
Anne O’Callaghan, herself an Irish immigrant who has been in the
Philadelphia area for 3 decades, observed that the situation had not
changed much since her arrival. Change was the challenge.
In response, she founded the Welcoming Center to serve as a
centralized resource and employment center for immigrants in
Philadelphia. The Welcoming Center opened in 2003, and Anne served as
its president and CEO for the next 9 years.
Since opening, the Welcoming Center has worked tirelessly to help
new Americans in this region, both through direct services and by
raising awareness among the business and political communities about
the positive impact that immigrants have on our economy. One of the
Welcoming Center’s key roles has been to help create strategic
relationships across a broad-based coalition of ethnic community-based
organizations, immigrant service providers, and corporate, government,
union, and foundation leaders in the greater Philadelphia region; and
the promotion of immigrants and immigration as assets to regional
economic development.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-
Creating a job placement service which to date has placed over
1,100 work-authorized immigrants in a variety of legitimate, payroll
jobs at a decent wage
-
Placing jobseekers
in jobs with more than 250 different companies in high-demand
industries including healthcare, warehouse, manufacturing, hospitality,
and retail
-
Providing good candidates repeatedly to companies -- over 65%
of our employers turn to us repeatedly to hire additional candidates
-
Giving academic and social support to more than 700 immigrant and
native-born students during the six years that our Project Bridging
Cultures operated at South Philadelphia High School
-
Providing more than 200 entrepreneurs each year with information and
resources about municipal regulations and licensing, technical
assistance on business start-ups, and practical advice on crime and
safety issues
-
Providing free legal consultations to over 200 immigrants each year
-
Partnering with a number of organizations to raise awareness of the
importance of immigration as it relates to economic development
-
Offering seminars that feature nationally recognized demographers and
experts on recent trends on immigration and the implications of
immigration on our region.
-
Creating dozens of detailed publications and reports about immigration, workforce development, and business development
And, of course, the accomplishment of which we are most proud:
Providing information, referral and consultation services to more than
9,000 individuals from over 140 nations around the world."
