Submitted by South Sound YMCA
This Welcoming Week (September 8-17), South Sound YMCA will join Welcoming America, other YMCAs, and organizations nationwide to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity.
The community is invited to join Y for two major events during the week, among many others. All events during Welcome Week are free for everyone to attend:
- September 9 – Briggs Community YMCA – 1-4pm
- Immigrant Stories of Our Community – Multicultural storyteller presentations, plus Timberland Public Library’s “ANYWHERE Library” and dance and other demos TBA.
- September 16 – Shelton Family YMCA – 10am-1pm
- El Grito: A Celebration of Mexican Independence – Join us at the Shelton Family YMCA for a celebration of Mexican Independence Day, featuring food, music, dancing, and more.
The full schedule for all branch events can be found at on our website here.
“In the Y, we believe our community is stronger when everyone feels welcome and we can all work together for the common good,” said Kyle Cronk, CEO. “We are proud to be a part of Welcoming Week, which is demonstrating that in places large and small, rural and urban, people of all backgrounds are coming together to create stronger communities and build belonging. It is a time to celebrate the shared values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues, and to make our towns more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls our community home.”
Each year, Welcoming Week elevates the growing movement of communities that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of the country. The event is an opportunity for neighbors—both immigrants and U.S.-born residents—to get to know one another and celebrate what unites people as a community.
