How You Can Serve Immigrants in NYC

New York City is a city of immigrants—in fact, 36% of us are foreign born. Many immigrants to our city face real challenges: adjusting to a new culture and language, navigating employment, housing, and school, and facing discrimination or hardship because of their immigration status.

That’s why we partner with several organizations serving immigrants in New York City—whether through ESL classes, after school programs, or safehouses. Below, learn more about how our affiliates are coming alongside our neighbors as they transition to a new way of life while maintaining the uniqueness and beauty of their cultures.

Brooklyn Arab American Friendship Center

Brooklyn Arab American Friendship Center offers newly immigrated Arab Americans English as a Second Language classes and cultural activities. BAAFC is a place where Arab American families can come to learn ESL, develop meaningful friendships, and bridge cross-cultural barriers.

Our volunteers lead classes and encourage the breakdown of cross-cultural barriers by consistently serving and engaging community members in relationships.

Center for All Abilities

Center for All Abilities seeks to serve individuals with special needs and their families through creative, educational and spiritual enrichment in a faith-guided environment. Their vision is for people with special needs and their families to realize and live out their full potential in God through supportive services.

Our volunteers participate in CAA's annual Special Olympics, allowing children with special needs from the Chinatown community to experience organized sports, some for the very first time.

Chinese Christian Herald Crusades

Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC) offers education, mentoring, and recreation programs for Chinese-American youth. Their mission is to reach out to the Chinese immigrant community to share God’s love in practical ways through community service, literature, caring ministries, and evangelistic meetings, to reach as many as possible for Christ.

Our volunteers mentor and provide English tutoring for immigrant youth, coach volleyball and basketball at seasonal clubs, and provide childcare for autism support group.

The Father’s Heart Ministries

The Father’s Heart Ministries provides services to the unemployed, at-risk youth, immigrants, and those without social or family support. Their mission is to declare and demonstrate God’s love through practical expressions of compassion in order to restore dignity and an improved quality of life to the many low-income (working poor), those on fixed incomes (elderly and ill), homeless, and immigrant individuals in their community. They seek to empower individuals to become self sufficient, to see families healed and restored.

Our volunteers Our volunteers serve breakfast to 700+ guests, tutor kids and serve dinner at KidZone, and teach GED classes to adults.

Living Waters Fellowship

Living Waters Fellowship is a church that provides after-school programs, adult ESL classes, and breakfast to the local community. Their mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ by reaching out to those lost in cycles of poverty in our neighborhood and to facilitate reaching the lost throughout the NYC area, as well as the world. Living Waters seeks to facilitate the evangelism of the lost and the growth and maturity of the body of Christ, through our various programs and by empowering the body of Christ by exposure to inner city ministry.

Our volunteers serve Saturday community breakfasts, teach ESL, and get to know neighborhood kids through sports and crafts.

The Open Door

The Open Door empowers immigrants to reach their full God given potential to successfully integrate, participate and contribute to the well being of our society. Its vision is a new community of diverse individuals heading homes participating and thriving in the English-speaking economic mainstream as a model of community development.

Our volunteers create class structure and teach ESL curriculum by getting to know their students and building community within the classroom.

Operation Exodus

Operation Exodus is a Christian mentoring program for students (K-12) and their families in Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx. Their mission is to launch NYC Latino youth to college and lives of excellence by loving and challenging them through educational opportunities and transformational relationships.

Our volunteers make an impact each week in the lives of kids by being positive, consistent, and committed role models.