Opening Word Program's Spring 2021 Campaign

While most of the women served by The Opening Word are not refugees in the legal sense of the word, they are all immigrants who came to the United States seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Immigrants often face difficulties while struggling to find their way in a new land and culture, but in the past year the women in The Opening Word program have also had to face a global pandemic, loss of jobs and income, and, in some cases, loss of family members to the illness.

Through it all, The Opening Word continued to serve immigrant women on Long Island with additional programs to help our students:

• Complete the census.

• Apply for food and heat assistance.

• Learn about tenants’ rights to avoid eviction.

• With several thousand dollars in gift cards for the purchase of groceries. 

• With over 500 individual packages of food and toiletries totaling over 4,000 pounds to students and their families.

• And, with support from friends of the program and grants from charitable foundations, we established an emergency assistance fund to support students with financial needs. 

Needless to say, these initiative combined with the inability to conduct in-person fundraising activities presents a significant financial challenge. Therefore, we are asking you to contribute to our virtual spring/summer campaign to help The Opening Word continue our mission. Donations of all amounts are most welcome!