From the Directors

As do so many of the dedicated folks who support La Casa de Amistad's work in our community, I began my time with La Casa as a volunteer, in 2007, teaching English to a few students in the neighborhood who wanted some extra language support for their employment pursuits. La Casa de Amistad has always had a special place in my heart and with my family. My husband and his siblings were among some of the first youth program participants at La Casa de Amistad over 48 years ago, and La Casa was for them, as it is now, a welcoming and familiar place of assistance and edification for recent and long-time immigrants alike. With this family history, when the opportunity presented itself for me to volunteer, I was honored to join in the continued work La Casa has been doing for years. Since that time, my role has grown with each new need presented, including developing, overseeing and directing our Citizenship Program, Immigration Legal Program, Access to Legal Services Program (pro bono legal consults in non-immigration areas of the law), and most recently our Adult EL (English Language) Program, coming back full circle to the first program I helped initiate at La Casa. I am blessed to love the work being done and to serve alongside our neighbors in this community. Not once in the over 15 years in my time with La Casa de Amistad have my job responsibilities felt like work.

Why is this important? The services and assistance we are able to provide in our programs are vital for the security, well being, and greater inclusion of immigrants and multi-language residents in our community and the entire region. U.S. Citizenship offers the highest level of participation and inclusion in this country and affords countless families with the ability to stay together, or reunite, upon U.S. Citizenship gained by at least one member of the family. Citizenship grants the ability to fully participate as an American and to use one's voice as a voter from then forward. And for our neighbors attaining immigration status, a new level of inclusion and stability is present in our communities for families, employers, and local economies who depend on each other and the contributions of immigrants every day. For me there is no greater service, and when one's work and service combine, everyone benefits. I am particularly humbled to work alongside so many members of our community and volunteers in this pursuit and in their dedication throughout.

The idea for La Casa de Amistad's Citizenship Program was sparked in the Spring of 2007 by a group of English class students who wanted to learn more about U.S. Citizenship. As with every program and service that La Casa de Amistad offers, the Citizenship classes, and eventually the Immigration Clinic, were developed and implemented in response to a voiced need by our community members. From the time of its inception in 2007 through the present, La Casa de Amistad's Citizenship Program has maintained a 100% pass rate of the USCIS Naturalization exam and interview among the students graduating our bilingual Citizenship Classes. To date this translates to more than 900 Naturalized U.S. Citizens, with origins in more than 78 countries worldwide and counting! Our community is richer for each and every one of them. Over the years, our Citizenship Program has included more than 4000 volunteer tutors and instructors who've given their time and talent for the benefit and success of our students seeking Naturalization. Becoming a part of the Citizenship program is really like becoming a part of our Citizenship family, helping to create a closer, more inclusive community for everyone. La Casa's Citizenship Program is successful because of the giving volunteers who have supported our students over the years in mastering the U.S. history and civics, and the English reading,writing, and comprehension skills needed to pass the Naturalization interview and exam. Our students continue to achieve citizenship success in class, both in-person and through Zoom, with the help of dedicated volunteers and instructors. Time and again those who have successfully passed their Naturalization interviews will return to class once more to share their stories of the Naturalization experience with fellow students and volunteers, making for a most rewarding experience for all involved.

La Casa de Amistad's Citizenship Classes are the only classes available within a 100 mile radius for the many pursuing Naturalization in our region, and we are grateful to be able to offer these classes with the help of so much community support. Citizenship is a life goal and a dream for thousands of immigrants in the United States and through the dedicated work of our class instructors and volunteers, students studying for their citizenship interviews are reaching that dream. That our immigrant neighbors trust us and our volunteers to work alongside them in attaining this very important life goal is never lost on me. There is great sacrifice along the way for each person seeking U.S. Citizenship, and it's a blessing to be a small part of their successful journeys while building relationships and community together. Our Citizenship Program has become more like a Citizenship family of volunteers and students invested in one another's lives and successes. I often say that I love my work. I love my family. And I so love that my work feels like one big happy family. This is why each of us lucky enough to work within La Casa's walls describes La Casa as 'Tu Casa'. La Casa de Amistad is home and family for anyone who walks through our doors, and that makes La Casa de Amistad a unique place to learn, gain assistance, support, and feel welcome.