City of Bend set to celebrate Welcoming Week Sept. 9-18
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) The City of Bend invites the community to join Welcoming Week, September 9-18.
Each year, the city joins and supports numerous community partners in celebrating Welcoming Week, a series of community-organized events that highlight the principles of inclusion and create communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome. This year’s Welcoming Week theme is #WhereWeBelong, inspiring individual reflection on how and why belonging occurs, and ways to break barriers so that Bend can foster belonging for all.
Welcoming Week will include both virtual and in-person events. Festivities will begin with a kick-off celebration from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, hosted by the Latino Community Association at their new Family Empowerment Center (2680 NE Twin Knolls Drive, Ste. 110, Bend).
Additional Welcoming Week events include a multi-cultural art exhibition featuring local artists, live poetry and music, restorative community healing circles, discussions on accountability and justice with community leaders, support for caregivers and more.
In addition to attending Welcoming Week events, the city encourages all community members to participate on a social media. Participants can post a photo with an “I’m a Welcomer” sign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Tag the City of Bend page and use the hashtags #WhereWeBelong and #WelcomingWeek2022 to show support.
There is also a “Bend Welcoming Week” photo frame available to add to Facebook profile photos and a Welcoming Week sticker to add to Instagram stories. Links to these items are also found on the Welcoming Week webpage.
Welcoming Week raises awareness about Bend’s status as a Welcoming City and the benefits of welcoming everyone, including immigrants and refugees. On June 21, 2017, the Bend City Council unanimously supported a resolution for the City of Bend to become a Welcoming City. Participation in Welcoming Week is one of the requirements for recognition as a Welcoming City.
For more information visit www.bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek or in Spanish at www.bendoregon.gov/bienvenido.
