Read the full article on Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A group in Nebraska’s capital city, in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, has launched its second annual effort to “show immigrant neighbors love.”
The Lincoln/Lancaster County Welcoming Plan is leading the Love Your Neighbor LNK project, inviting Lincoln-area residents to make valentines for newcomers. Last year, more than 750 valentines were collected and shared.
“With so much national unrest, many of our immigrant neighbors are scared,” said Lisa Guill, the welcoming communities coordinator with the Cultural Centers of Lincoln, noting that even foreign-born residents with lawful status are “afraid for their safety.”
Collection sites for the valentine cards, a list of welcoming messages in various languages and other details can be found at welcominglink.org/love-your-neighbor-link.”
Guill’s position was created and funded by the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County governments partly to help make Lincoln a “certified welcoming” community. That’s a designation — currently achieved by 39 cities and counties across the U.S. — bestowed by the Atlanta-based Welcoming America organization on governments that have created policies and programs that reflect a commitment to including people of all backgrounds. The larger Welcoming America “network” includes about 300 nonprofits and local governments.
In Nebraska, Lincoln and Crete hold the “certified welcoming” designation. Last summer, Lincoln upped its status further, earning a rare four-star (out of a possible five) certified welcoming designation, which comes after meeting additional criteria.
Only one other community in the U.S. has reached that four-star level, California’s San Mateo County, in January 2024. None have risen to five stars.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
