City of Bend, partners to celebrate Welcoming Week

Beginning on Friday, Sept. 13, the City of Bend joins 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.

Welcoming Week takes place Sept. 13 to 22. Festivities begin with a Kick-off Celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at the Latino Community Association. The event is free and open to the public.

Additional Welcoming Week events include Latino Fest, a community picnic and field day, allyship training, a film screening, a meet and greet with City officials, and more. View the Welcoming Week webpage for a full list of events.

In addition to attending Welcoming Week events, community members are encouraged to participate on a social media . Participants can post a photo with an “I’m a Welcomer” sign to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Tag the City of Bend page and use the hashtags # IWelcome and # WelcomingWeek to show support for Welcoming Week. There is also a “Bend Welcoming Week” photo frame available to add to Facebook profile photos.

Welcoming Week is a series of events in the community that raise 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 about Welcoming Week, including event and social media information, visit www.bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek.

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News release from the Latino Community Association:

Welcoming Week celebrates our immigrant neighbors

The City of Bend and the Latino Community Association ( LCA ) have an answer to the hatred that exploded into violence against immigrants and people of color in two U.S. communities in early August. It is Bend’s third annual Welcoming Week: a community-wide effort to welcome our immigrant and refugee neighbors and colleagues, and to provide engaging events for all residents to learn about and celebrate the contributions we all make to our community.

The free events will unfold the week of Sept. 13-22 and everyone is welcome.

LCA is sponsoring or co-sponsoring the following events:

Sept. 13 – Kickoff event, 6 to 8 p.m., Latino Community Association, 2445 NE Division St., Bend. Join us to welcome and celebrate our diverse Central Oregon community with delicious snacks, music, and dancing on the grass along the Deschutes River. Food and beverages available. Sept. 14 – Latino Fest, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sahalee Park, SE 7th and C streets, Madras. Latino Community Association and friends will fill the park with live mariachi and norteña music, folkloric dance, nonprofit booths, food carts, and activities for kids in this second annual celebration of Latino culture. https://latinocommunityassociation.org/event-info/latino-fest/ Sept. 16 – Bilingual Meet and Greet ( Venga y Conozca ) with the City of Bend, 6 to 8 p.m. Bend Parks & Recreation District, 799 SW Columbia St., Bend. City departments will provide a safe and welcoming space to talk with residents and listen to their questions and concerns. Spanish interpreters will help residents whose voices are not usually heard to communicate with city staff and officials. It’s a chance to meet your neighbors, participate in the development of the city, munch on snacks and potentially win prizes.

For a list of all Bend’s Welcoming Week events, visit www.bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek

Welcoming Week is an annual celebration that brings together thousands of people at hundreds of local events to build unity between immigrants and refugees and to encourage long-term residents to foster a greater welcome. Welcoming America is leading a movement of inclusive communities that prosper as they make everyone who lives there feel like they belong. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of both our communities and our shared future. www.welcomingamerica.org