Streaming LIVE at 7 pm: 8th Annual Dinner Program
Click the link to live stream tonight's Annual Dinner Program
Our Virtual Celebration
The Annual Dinner is an Americana tradition. Although our event is entirely virtual this year, we are able to celebrate with delicious food, musical performances, motivational speeches, awards, and a silent auction as we always have.
There are many ways to support Americana this time of year:
1) Browse our silent auction items which will be open for bidding from Tuesday, October 27th, 2020 through Saturday, November 7th, 2020.
2) Experience our Annual Dinner programming including musical performances by local groups, awards presentation, and testimonies from our participants and partners starting at 7:00 pm on November 7th, 2020 right here on our website.
3) Order food from these partnering restaurant locations during the following times and dates:
J. Gumbo's on 1616 Grinstead Drive Louisville, KY 40204 on Friday, November 6th, 2020, 4:00 pm-9:00 pm
Sign up at the Grinstead Drive J. Gumbo's Group Raise page by Tuesday, November 3rd!
4) Explore each section of this website. You can learn about our programs and how we have continued to provide crucial services during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information can be found on the Americana Community Center official website.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Americana provides holistic, comprehensive programs to immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals in Louisville. These programs enable people to overcome the challenges of integrating into a new community and of living below the poverty line.
Youth Programs
Americana’s youth programs are designed to provide children and teens in our community with diverse, meaningful opportunities for academic and personal development to ensure their success in school and life.
The After-School Program provides a safe, welcoming, and encouraging environment for school-aged youth. Programming supports their achievement in school through homework help and tutoring, English as a Second Language instruction, college and career readiness programs, creative arts, counseling, youth coaching, a hot meal from Dare to Care Kids’ Café, teen leadership, and health and wellness activities such as basketball, soccer, gardening, and nutrition lessons. Through community partnerships, the young participants are also given opportunities they would not otherwise have, such as local field trips, dance and music class, and off-campus recreational activities including hiking and archery.
The Summer Youth Program is a 7-week program during June and July for school-aged youth to participate in fun, engaging activities to prevent summer learning loss and develop personal interests. The program focuses on six core areas: STEM, Creative Arts, Physical Education, Environmental Education, Literacy, and Computer Literacy. Programming also includes English as a Second Language classes, field trips, swimming lessons, three meals each day, and recreational activities.
The Creative Arts Program is part of Americana’s year-round youth programming. With emphasis on creative expression, skill-based learning, and social development, creative arts are an important component of the holistic services we provide. Each week, activities such as visual arts, dance, AmeriChoir, and creative writing are offered on-site, along with regular outings into the arts community and visiting artist workshops in all arts disciplines.
Family Programs
The goal of our family programs is to help families successfully integrate into their new hometown.
The Family Education Program supports immigrant and refugee parents in acquiring the tools necessary to promote their children’s academic success while increasing their own English language proficiency and meeting personal health, education, and personal goals. Parents and their children participate in some activities together, promoting parents in their role as a child’s first teacher, and improving collaboration as a family unit.
The five components of our Family Education Program are:
Family Coaching is a confidential, one-on-one relationship between families and a family coach designed to help foster positive change in a family’s life. Coaching is based on the belief that the family has the answers they need, and the family coach is trained to support them in discovering these answers rather than simply providing answers. As a critical element to the Family Education Program, families have set and achieved goals like continuing their education, completing their GED, buying a house, earning employment certifications, and obtaining citizenship.
Community Programs
Fiberworks is a women’s arts group designed to support the positive integration of refugee and immigrant women into the Louisville community using a common interest in the fiber arts. Participants help one another develop confidence, skills, and resources necessary to identify and pursue goals for themselves and their families as they adapt to their new home in Louisville. Find their handmade products at various Heine Bros. locations, local festivals and fairs, and on our Etsy shop.
The Community Garden is a space dedicated to physical, mental, and emotional nourishment. Family plots are offered to our participants as a place to reconnect with who they are while their nutritious yield is a vital supplement to their diet during the growing season. The Children’s Garden is an integral part of the Youth Program and gives our youth the opportunity to connect with nature and get their hands in the dirt while learning about nutrition and sustainability.
On-Site Partner Programs
The Jefferson County Public Schools Adult Learning Center at Americana provides a number of educational services:
*More than 50% of all ESL students in Kentucky attend class at Americana.
Family Health Centers provide residents of Louisville and Jefferson County access to high-quality primary and preventative health care services without regard to the ability to pay. FHC recognizes the important role that culture plays in health and developed the Americana clinic as an extension of their mission and a way to better provide for the diverse health care needs of Louisville’s immigrants and refugees.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at Americana offers free tax preparation from February to April each year to qualifying individuals and families in partnership with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition and the IRS.
The Survivors of Torture and Recovery Clinic provides comprehensive torture survivor-centered services to refugees and immigrants who have been victims of torture and/or who may have witnessed the torture of family, friends, or others in their country of origin prior to arriving in the United States. Family members of survivors of torture are also served.
Kentucky Refugee Ministries offers citizenship classes once a week at Americana and more than 50 students become U.S. Citizens with the help of this class every year.
Our staff also provide Cultural Competency Training and Domestic Abuse Prevention Training.
Be part of bridging the gap from surviving to thriving by volunteering at Americana World Community Center! Volunteers are crucial to helping our refugee, immigrant, and underserved neighbors overcome challenges. Opportunities to volunteer range from helping at one-time events to assisting children with homework. Volunteering at Americana is a great way to give back to our community and to form meaningful relationships with program participants. Learn more about how you can get involved.
Americana Practicum/Internship Application
You can do this online here: Practicum/Internship Application
To begin volunteering at Americana Community Center…
1) Complete a volunteer application
Contact volunteering@americanacc.org to begin a volunteer application.
2) Attend a virtual orientation
Contact volunteering@americanacc.org to schedule a virtual volunteering orientation.
3) Read the volunteer manual
Be sure to read the Volunteer Manual and return the last page signed to the Volunteer Coordinator.
4) Complete a background check or consent form
If 18 or older and volunteering 10+ hours, please complete a background check before you begin volunteering. If you’ve had one done in the past 12 months, you can provide a copy of the results or a letter from the organization.
We strongly suggest a $10 donation to cover the cost of your background check, if you are able.
Questions? Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator:
volunteering@americanacc.org
(502) 366-7813