PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES, REALIZING DREAMS 2017ANNUAL REPORT A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAGE 2 Dear Friends: Despite the unsettled atmosphere in our country during 2017, the staff and volunteers at Building One Community: The Center for Immigrant Opportunity did a remarkable job of continuing to serve the immigrant community in the greater Stamford area. While others were focused on building walls, increasing deportations and implementing restrictive immigration laws, we worked with 2,821 clients from 54 countries, providing them with opportunities to learn, to work, and to become productive members of our community. Clearly, assistance for our population has been particularly important during the past year. In response, we launched a new Immigration Legal Services program, and we are developing Community Support teams to help individuals and families who are involved in legal immigration issues. We sponsored information forums to provide timely and relevant information to our low-income clients and other community members. Of course, we continued our ongoing programs to help clients feel safe and welcome in our community. Students share a moment of fun in an English as a Second Language class taught by a high school In all of our work, we are guided by our mission to bring passionate people together to help immigrants and their volunteer. families succeed in the community. During 2017, in support of this mission: • 1,438 clients enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) or Vocational ESL (VESL) classes; • 579 clients obtained jobs or participated in job skills training classes and formal certification programs to increase employability skills; and • 1,266 clients participated in support programs for assistance with immigration issues, health care, tax preparation, parenting and school engagement. Building One Community focuses on creating opportunities for immigrants seeking to expand their skills and improve their lives. Our programs educate, employ and empower them, and engage the entire community in the SNAPSHOT OF 2017 process. In this report, we look at opportunities for immigrants to learn, earn, and succeed – and opportunities for our many volunteers and friends to support their efforts. 2,821 While our staff and volunteers provide opportunities for our clients on a daily basis, community partners and ACTIVE CLIENTS, financial supporters also are key to our success. By contributing over $1.5 million in 2017, our donors supported REPRESENTING 54 COUNTRIES everything we do. Our community partners provided many specialized services for our clients. In addition, during the past year, 447 individual volunteers provided over 12,000 volunteer hours – equivalent to the work of almost six full-time employees – and we continue to welcome volunteers who are passionate about our mission. 1,438 We encourage you to read the stories that follow about the community we have created together. With your ACTIVE ESL LEARNERS support, we look forward to providing opportunities and realizing dreams to help the immigrants who come to 299 Building One Community: The Center for Immigrant Opportunity. RECIPIENTS OF IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES Anne Downey, Board Chair Catalina Horak, Executive Director PAGE 3 B1C’s third class of Home Health Aides proudly shows off their Volunteer high school tutors work side by side with diplomas during their graduation ceremony at Norwalk Community adult learners on busy Saturday mornings. College. Citizenship class participants celebrate passing their naturalization exams with their teachers. Elementary school students, supported by their parents, Students in a vocational ESL class learn the language tailored to work to maintain their reading levels in the Summer customer service in their profession. Reading Program while school is not in session. Our volunteer-run Wage Theft Recovery Clinic helps clients Culinary students gain hands on practice for work in Stamford Mayor David Martin greets a B1C family at collect the pay that is due to them. restaurants and catering. last year’s Spring Benefit Breakfast. OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN: EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS PAGE 4 Seizing the Opportunity: Elmedhi is continuing his English studies and is His students are very different from each other Learning and Teaching challenging himself to learn 10 to 20 new words every – some come in as good readers but not good day. He demands excellence from himself, analyzing speakers of English, while others can read well Elmedhi came from Morocco to the United States in his speech to make sure that his words are arranged but cannot speak fluently. With all of his students, 2016. He spoke no English when he arrived, and he in the right order. He still visits B1C to check in and, Richard sees a common issue. As he explained, realized that he had to change that situation quickly. when time allows, to attend a class. He enjoys the “When I was learning English, I was very quiet, As he said, “You need to learn English in order to classroom experience because, as he explained, because I thought I would get it wrong. Most of my be here, to get a job, to do anything.” So he began “everyone is so nice, and I feel so comfortable, like students also are afraid to talk, because they think attending English as a Second Language (ESL) I’m in my house. It’s easy to learn that way.” they will be made fun of, or will make a mistake.” He classes at Building One Community. By participating believes that his students just need to practice writing Richard, who teaches upper-level ESL classes at in several classes and one-on-one tutoring sessions and speaking, as he noted, “so that they will have B1C, has a unique perspective on his students. He each week, he improved his English language skills confidence to speak without fear.” is an immigrant himself, having arrived in the United very quickly and was able to progress through States from Haiti 18 years ago. So he understands Richard takes his volunteer work with B1C very several ESL class levels. that his students need to learn not only the language, seriously. He commented, “When our students come Elmedhi now works full-time as a security officer but also the culture, or, as he expressed it, “how to here, it’s a sacrifice, because they are all working in the lobby of a major Stamford office building, live their lives.” hard. So, when they come, I value their time.” He and he puts his English skills to good use when also sets high standards for himself. As he said, “If Richard connected with B1C through an instructor at communicating with the tenants and other staff in I don’t have a full class, it means that I’m not doing Norwalk Community College who told him about the the building. His supervisor spends extra hours with something right. I ask for feedback from the students Center and encouraged him to volunteer. Since then, Elmedhi to teach him about managing the building. and from the staff at B1C, so that I can get better.” he has done both individual tutoring and teaching. With the same dedication that he shows in his job, SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY Elmedhi, Learning Richard, Teaching “Everyone is so nice (at B1C), and I feel so comfortable, Richard’s goal is for his students to like I’m in my house. It’s easy to learn that way.” “have confidence to speak without fear.” OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN: EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS PAGE 5 Education and Training at B1C: Research shows that limited English proficiency is the most significant barrier to immigrants’ success in this country. To help our clients develop language skills, Building One Community offers all levels of general English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. We provided 3,622 hours of instruction for 1,337 clients in 2017. These classes are essential in moving our clients beyond “survival English” and qualifying them for more skilled, higher-wage jobs. In 2017, our Skills Development Program trained 484 students in three program tracks: • Home Health Aide, • Culinary and Catering Services, and • Construction and Landscaping. All three of these areas have formal curricula, which include the technical and language skills needed for employment. Home Health Aide students follow a track designed and taught in conjunction with a valued program partner, Norwalk Community College. Participants receive certificates of completion for many of these courses, and our Home Health Aides receive certificates at their own graduation ceremony. Students in this track also may take fewer courses and qualify as CPR technicians or home care companions. We also have developed Vocational ESL (VESL) classes to accompany each of these course tracks; 185 clients received a total of 317 hours of instruction in VESL during 2017. For children, we offer rotating homework help, tutoring and reading programs in our Center throughout the year. Adult and high school student volunteers organize, manage and staff these sessions, which occupy after-school hours as well as Saturday mornings. A key element of our Home Health Aide curriculum is sessions held at Norwalk Community College’s laboratory classrooms, where students practice the many skills they will need to safely and successfully work with clients. OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN: EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR CLIENTS PAGE 6 Seizing the Opportunity: Working, Earning and Building Skills A trio of clients from Building One Community is helping Stamford-based U.S. Games Systems serve the market for family games and playing card decks. They work in the company’s warehouse, organizing stock as it is received and packaging it for national and international shipments. All three of the men are from Haiti, and Ernso, the most experienced, celebrated his one-year anniversary with the company in May. When the company expanded their staff, they turned again to B1C and hired Stivens and Robenson.