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 Dear
Friends and Colleagues,
It may be summer, but there is no shortage of goings-on. Read
on for a variety of updates, including:
- A
terrific 3-generation entrepreneurial story
- Timely
tools for Human Resources staff
- A
family-law attorney you should know
- A
remarkable, ambitious new nationwide survey of women immigrants
- State
and national developments in immigration policy
Unfortunately, there's also one more situation going on, and it is
not so positive. Even as our rainy summer has produced lush flowers
and fruitful crops, there is a serious drought in Pennsylvania: The
state budget crisis.
After 28 days without a budget, nonprofits across the
state are staggering under the weight of
unpaid contracts and an uncertain future. The situation has
been made worse by the freeze on federal pass-through funds, meaning
that two major sources of funding have dried up at the same time.
Fortunately, the Welcoming Center has been both prudent and cautious
in its financial planning. Unlike others, we have not been forced to
go to four-day weeks or cut services dramatically. Instead, we
continue to provide employment, informational, and small business
services as usual. Amazingly, we've just experienced one of our
best-ever months for job placement, thanks to our hardworking
Employment Department.
But like any business, cash flow is critical. We urgently
await the passage of a state budget, and we rely even more on
individual contributions. If you think that the work the Welcoming
Center does is worthwhile, please make a personal
donation today.
We'd be most grateful - and more importantly, so would the nearly
2,000 people we serve each year.
Anne O'Callaghan
Executive Director
www.welcomingcenter.org
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 Do you work in Center
City? Perhaps you've checked out the shiny new Comcast Center at 17th
St. and JFK Blvd. If you've had lunch in the lower-level
Market, you've probably spotted the lush, colorful displays at
Sook Hee's Produce and Juice Bar. Perhaps you've sampled a
fresh-fruit and yogurt smoothie, or picked up some fresh basil and
gourmet pasta to take home for an easy summer dinner.
But you might not
know that behind Sook Hee's is a multi-generational family powerhouse
that has launched three businesses in the past 27 years, spanning
locations from Ardmore to Center City. "Our family has been
doing produce forever. If you want to trace it back all the
way to Korea with my grandmother...[the entrepreneurial spirit] is in
my blood," says Hammee Seo, the store's manager and
daughter of the owners.
While the business specializes in all-time favorites such as
freshly-squeezed orange juice, and offers an impressive selection of
fruits and vegetables, customers can also enjoy an imported foods
section. It is particularly popular among those who prefer not to
travel to Chinatown to pick up their weekly Asian groceries.
Sook Hee's coupons are distributed in six different locations
throughout the city.
"Small businesses in general are very important to a
community," says Seo. "You just don't get the same level of
service" from larger chains.
With the number of small businesses in our state at nearly 1 million,
it seems likely that numerous Pennsylvanians would agree. Such
attention to service -- and carefully-chosen products -- is a winning
formula for Sook Hee's and its many customers.
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Employer
Resources
How do I make sure my employees are authorized to work? It's a
question that gets asked every day by business owners and Human
Resources staff.
This summer, the Obama administration has announced new
worksite-enforcement activities, and the controversy about the
E-Verify system has continued to simmer. Below are some helpful
resources for business owners and Human Resources staff alike.
- Does
your state require E-Verify? Check out this state-by-state list, which
specifies which states require businesses to use the web-based
system.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Lisa Jordan
 You may know that immigration law is exceptionally
complicated, but did you know how much more confusing it gets when
adoption, divorce, and child custody come into the picture? Lisa
Jordan does.
During the Welcoming Center's monthly legal clinics, clients see Lisa
for free consultation on issues that may not always seem related to
immigration law, but can have a powerful impact on their legal status
nevertheless.
A Philadelphia native and a graduate of Rutgers University School of
Law, Lisa is an experienced family-law attorney whose friendly
attitude and engaging manner allow clients to trust her sharp legal
expertise. By providing clear, straightforward advice, Lisa
equips people to face complex legal situations on their own.
The Welcoming Center appreciates the generosity of both Lisa and her
firm, the Philadelphia-based Berner Klaw & Watson LLP,
which specializes in family law and includes attorneys licensed to
practice in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Are you an attorney who is interested in providing pro-bono
assistance? The Welcoming Center can use your help! Volunteers may
donate their time in chunks of 3 hours (once a month at our Center
City legal clinics) or 30-45 minutes (occasional consultations by
phone or at your office). Contact Sara Hutcheson at 215-557-2831 or
sara@welcomingcenter.org.
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Making Good Policy:
From
States to the Nation
What are the best ways to make sure that immigrants become
integrated into their new communities? That's a question that all
fifty U.S. states are wrestling with, albeit in different ways
depending on their status as new or emerging immigrant gateways.
 And that's the
question that Welcoming Center executive director Anne O'Callaghan
was asked to answer at the recent gathering of the National
Conference of State Legislators. Anne's presentation focused on
the economic and logistical factors that can help or hinder
newcomers' participation as workers and business owners in society.
Legislators from New Hampshire, Maryland and Washington spoke up to
share their states' experiences
If you're a policymaker, e-mail Isabelle
Rambo for a copy of our one-page flyer, What Policymakers Can
Do to Support Immigrant Integration.
In other policy news, WCNP staff also attended the National Conference on
Immigrant Integration in Denver. For more information on
the numerous valuable policy discussions, e-mail Isabelle
to be sure you are on the list to receive our "Bite-Size
Conference Summary."
Also in Denver, the Colorado Immigration Rights Coalition launched an
invitation to participate in an Mobile Action Network to stay up to
date about developments in national immigration legislation via
e-mail and text message. To sign up, visit here.
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Research
Corner
This month brings two very different reports: A huge, unprecedented
multilingual poll of immigrant women, and a new
"backgrounder" on Iraqi refugees. Read on for details.
Women Immigrants:
Stewards of the 21st Century Family
For the first time in history, the majority of U.S. immigrants are
female. And these women are the subject of a new study released by New
America Media, which conducted detailed interviews in 10
languages with a sample of 1,002 immigrant women from Asia, Africa,
and Latin America.
Study results are being rolled out in public presentations across the
U.S., and Welcoming Center staff recently attended the New York
release.
Key findings include:
- Women
immigrants come to the U.S. for many of the same reasons as men:
to make a better life for their children, to pursue a higher
education, to get a job, as well as to join family.
- A
majority of women report that they have taken on new roles since
coming to the U.S. For example, 73% report that they have
become more assertive at home and in public since coming to
the United States.
- Women
also report that decisionmaking is shared more equitably with
their husbands, on topics such as family finances, family
size, and sensitive and personal issues.
- Women
are the main advocates for acquiring U.S. citizenship. An
overwhelming 84% want to become US citizens, and more than half
report that in their families, they are the ones who feel
most strongly about achieving citizenship.
Survey
results have a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage
points. The survey was funded by Atlantic Philanthropies,
Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, and the Evelyn & Walter
Haas Jr. Fund.
Iraqi Refugees
Are you a teacher, social worker, or case manager working with Iraqi
refugees? Check out this backgrounder on refugees from
Iraq for helpful information. It's available as a free pdf.
Publisher's Description: Provides in-depth information about
refugee groups from Iraq, describing the various ethnic and religious
communities of Iraqi Arabs (both Sunni and Shi'a), Iraqi Christians,
and others.
Topics include history, conditions in countries of asylum,
characteristics of the refugee population, cultural features of each
of the different communities, religion, language, education, and
resettlement considerations.
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Support Our Work!
 As mentioned above, your personal support is vital to
the Welcoming Center, particularly in tight economic times. We
appreciate donations of any amount.
You can make a donation via credit
card through our website, or send a check to the Welcoming Center at
P.O. Box 58188, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
We are a 501(c)3 organization and a member of the United Way. Our
United Way donor option number is 14726.
The official registration and financial information of
the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians may be obtained from the
Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within
Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply
endorsement.
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