LATEST NEWS

April 28th, 2023 | Issue 4

Give Greater Success!

A big thank you to our network of supporters who donated to Amani last week during Give Greater Allen County! We were blown away by our community's generosity and we raised $6,910 toward our Welcoming Fort Wayne initiative!

Ewelina Connolly, Amani CEO, named Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation Class VI Fellow

The Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation (MLDF) announced Amani CEO Ewelina Connolly is one of 25 participants selected for its Class VI Fellowship. Connolly will be the sole representative from Allen County.

Connolly will now participate in a two-year, curated program with monthly convenings and coursework focused on state issues including the economy, education, healthcare, and civil society. The competitive selection process included 137 applicants representing 28 countries.

“As the CEO of Amani, I have the privilege to be at the forefront of critical conversations focused on both the many challenges impacting immigrants and refugees, and the opportunities our diverse community has to offer to the economic and overall development of Allen County,” said Connolly. “I am honored to bring my learned experiences to advance these conversations on the state level and bring awareness to the unique considerations of culturally-diverse communities.” Read more.

Welcoming Fort Wayne Spotlight: Quarterly Learning Community Recap

Amani in partnership with the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, and International House hosted the first quarterly learning session on March 30th to discuss Welcome Corps and our local agencies in detail. The first session was successful – more than 125 people registered for the event. Community member So Min Oo shared his story of how he arrived in Fort Wayne after spending a decade in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, attorney Desiree Koger-Gustafson explained the different legal classifications of refugees, and Welcome Corps director Elizabeth Franks joined via Zoom to discuss the new federal program. Amani, along with the partnering agencies, was able to present our current services and provide information about how to support the refugees in our community. We are looking forward to the next session!

We partner with immigrant and refugee families and the community to promote safety, encourage personal growth, and foster a spirit of belonging.