Welcome Center Open House

Open House

The Welcome Center will be closing by year’s end. 

You are invited to join us to celebrate the work and life of

The Welcome Center

and the Faribault Diversity Coalition

Tuesday, November 2

4-6 pm

St. Vincent de Paul Center

617 Third Avenue NW

(corner of 3^rd Ave and 6^th St NW)

Faribault

As a client, supporter, collaborator, former member, friend or neighbor, you too have been part of the Coalition and Center’s life.  Let’s Celebrate!

Snacks and Refreshments Served

___________________________________________

Recepción

El Centro de Bienvenida va a cerrar antes del fin del año. 

Esta invitado a reunirse con nosotros para celebrar el trabajo y la vida del

Centro de Bienvenida y

la Coalición para la Diversidad en Faribault.

El Martes, 2 de Noviembre

De 4 a 6 de la tarde

Centro San Vicente de Pablo

617 Third Avenue NW

(esquina de Avenida 3 y Calle 6 NW)

Faribault

Como cliente, colaborador, miembro de la coalición, amigo o vecino, Usted también ha sido parte de la vida de la Coalición y del Centro.  Celebremos!

Se sirve pastel y bocadillos

2nd Thoughts about the Faribault Diversity Coalition

As (Charles Kuralt) once coined, "There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass" 

I've been contemplating this saying the past month as we decided to close the Welcome Center due to lack of funds and dissolve the Faribault Diversity Coalition. I was going to write a history and share some feelings about the last 10 years that I've been involved and thank a page full of people then something occurred.

I've been feeling a little down since the decision but had mixed feelings also. The past year I haven't had much time to be of service to the Faribault Diversity Coalition, Welcome Center and especially to the people that are in need of help, both the immigrants and the kind citizens of Faribault. 

With the economy being what it is when one of our staff retired at the Faribault Print Shop, we couldn't afford to replace her so it put more work on the three of us left. With that I haven't had the time to devote to this 10 year passion of mine the F.D.C.

When Bob Kell and I were having coffee at the Coffee Shop this week we were talking about the past, present and the future. With the economy not looking up in the near future we were concerned what is going to happen between the immigrants and the natives of Faribault. 

We, (Diversity Coalition,Welcome Center) have spent the last 10+plus years not only helping the immigrants with their needs but to integrate into the Faribault population. We've held forums, workshops, spoke at community service clubs, schools, monthly meetings, and diffuse tensions when the need arose. These and the whole history plus all the people that have helped physically and financially can be found in the stories at: http://faribodiversity.blogspot.com/

As we were talking I felt I couldn't drop the ball and call it quits so we decided to just dissolve the Welcome Center and keep the Diversity Coalition going. It won't be as strong as it has been but we may have to start over from scratch. 

Bob's situation is fluid, he's looking for a job and don't know if he'll be able to find one close by or the cities. As for me, due to circumstances I'm very fortunate to remain busy with my business and will be getting busier these coming months. Until I decide what to do with my business, either invest in more equipment, and, or hire more help I still can't be as involved in this endeavor yet as I would like to be. I plan on keeping the blog going and report on the positive things happening in this fair city and be as I've been most of my time with the F.D.C. "The Communicator". 

There are many people that don't want to see this end, so, be it two, 6 mo. or a year down the line we will once again take up the charge with renewed energy and continue to make Faribault the friendly and welcoming city that we all know and love. 

The more of you that would like to help, become involved, energize, and take charge we can start sooner. We can start our monthly meetings again and dissolve the tension that is rising all over the world. There is more need now more then ever to keep our town, state and world a more harmonious and informed place. 

As I've said so many times the past 10 years we are communicating with real people, with hearts, souls and feelings. Just because some are from different cultures, different color skin, different religions, doesn't mean they are numbers on a sheet of paper.  They've all had child hoods, most have had problems with bullies in school, abused by parents, gone hungry, homeless, not wanted in the country they were born in or this country because they are different. 

We must find compassion & respect in working and living with these newcomers as well as with ourselves. We are not asking for money, just your heart and time. Surprising what a smile and hi will do to everyone you meet on the street, I don't care what culture or if they understand you or not. That my friend don't cost a dime. 

I thank you all for all you've done the past 15 years for the Faribault Diversity Coalition, people of Faribault and especially welcoming the newcomers. Just think…….. most of our grandparents were newcomers, my grandparents came over from Norway & Denmark…. ya sure, you betcha I'm grateful that my grandparents were welcomed and became Americans and allowed me to be born to repay what they received. 

Please if you would like to show we still have "Minnesota Nice" please call me at 507-334-4448 - 8-5 - Mon. - Fri. or email at fpsmster@gmail.com

Have a gentle day, Milo

P.S. We'll be having a Open House at the Welcome Center, in the (St. Vincent dePaul building) 617 3rd Ave. NW, Nov. 2nd - 4 -6 p.m. Please come so we can thank you all for your help and encouragement through the years. 

http://faribodiversity.blogspot.com/
www.faribaultprintshop.com

A Setting Sun, Decision Made Regarding Future of Faribault Diversity Coalition

Hello Faribault Diversity Coalition members & friends,

For some time now, we have recognized that funding issues would change the face of our work. We had enjoyed the significant support of some steady partners over the past few years that had helped us develop our Welcome Center services and initiate new programs. Those funders have been most generous and have renewed that support several times over. But we were not able to discover the new partners that could help us sustain our work into the coming years. It is not to say that it could not be done…simply that we did not succeed.

There is much we could second-guess. We maybe could have set aside more time to write grants or held some fund-raisers or established a fee for service scale. But the one thing that shaped our decisions at the time was the person standing at the door, the one who needed our help that day. We did what we could and believe that we made a slight difference in helping people find some steadier ground upon which to build their lives. I am not sure if we would do it differently.

The decision has been made to close the Welcome Center by the end of the year. Along with that decision comes another. It also seems the appropriate time to bring closure to the Faribault Diversity Coalition. The Coalition is where all of this began back in 1995. It was the heart and soul out of which the Welcome Center grew. In time the focus became the work of the Center and the work to support community welcome. The Coalition, as that monthly meeting of the minds, slipped away in the busyness. The members continue to work, only they do so in other circles. It seems more appropriate to recognize that evolution than to try to revive it.

So, in December, the journey will end for the Diversity Coalition and its Welcome Center. But this journey of the community will not. The people of Faribault are still here—the immigrants and refugees who are building their lives, the neighbors who have welcomed them, the organizations and agencies who help when there is need, the employers who look for workers, the schools who see the promise in the youth. We have only been a small part of that bigger world. The journey will go on.

Over the next months we will continue to provide services as we work to bring closure. We will hold an Open House to celebrate what has been and to say goodbye. But above all, we wish to thank those who made this possible: the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN Foundation, the Foldcraft Foundation, the City of Faribault, the Faribault Area United Way, the Southern MN Initiative Foundation, El Fondo, the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce, South Central College, the wonderful members of the Diversity Coalition, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Donahue’s Greenhouse, Farmers Seed, Divine Mercy Church, St. Vincent de Paul Center for Charitable Services, Walmart, the members of the Faribault Diversity Coalition Board with a special thanks to Milo Larson for his leadership over all these years, our donors, and the people who have graced our office with their lives. The Latino, Somali, and Sudanese residents of Faribault have brought beautiful diversity, solidarity, and gifts to those of us who arrived here first. May we never close the door.

Sincerely,

Bob Kell

Welcome Center Director

P.S.

From the Faribault Diversity Coalition Board a sincere thank you to Bob Kell who with his expertise run the Welcome Center with spirit and grace. Bob helped many immigrants coming to town from filling out papers, translating, helping to find jobs, food, clothing, easing tensions between cultures, and being a friend to everyone.

Bob with the help of his board helped make Faribault a truly better city, one that we can be proud to be part of.

Thank you Bob and the Faribault Diversity Coalition members from the Board, Milo Larson, Kymn Anderson, Delane James, Hashi, Joseph Mbele, Pat Wieseler, Shirley Drentlaw, & Vicky Carrillo.