A Letter from our Director

Dear Friends,

On behalf of everyone at BIIN, we would like to wish you a wonderful 4th of July and invite you to support our mission and work through our Annual Fundraiser this week.

To our partners and donors, in celebration of 4th of July and our nation’s independence, I want to acknowledge the impact of your generosity and support for BIIN. It was exactly a year ago that I was given the opportunity to serve at BIIN. It has been an honor to witness the many lives that are touched by this organization alongside the love that this community gives our immigrant neighbors. In spite of the change in leadership and programs, in the last year your support has enabled us to consistently serve more than 150 students per semester, 310 IRA cases, and this summer 160 students through the BackPack Program with the Brazos Valley Food Bank. I am immensely grateful for your commitment to our mission. Thank you for still believing we are a nation founded by immigrants and for the trust you place on BIIN to serve those new immigrants.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the importance of each of our volunteers and interns. From the classroom, to IRA, to our grant writers, to our treasurer. I am not sure what BIIN would look like without Tony, Cleotilde, or Angela in IRA, or Rich or Jeremy in the classrooms. I am personally grateful for Dr. Ptomey, who earlier this year helped us to create a curriculum that everyone loved and for the communication outlets that continuously support us. Thank you each for your alliance to BIIN. Your belief in and vision inspires us to strive for excellence in everything we do. 

The 4th of July is an important holiday for us at BIIN, as it symbolizes the culmination of what so many of our students work towards each year. Some of our students will be celebrating their very first 4th of July this week. We invite you to join us in empowering our students and community members by making a gift through our Annual Fundraiser. The fundraiser will be taking place throughout this week, but extensively on July 3rd & 4th. Our goal is to raise enough funds to sponsor 50 students in our ESL or Citizenship classes, equipping them as they integrate into U.S. culture and become active members of our community. By remembering to share our posts and making a gift this 4th of July week, you can help us to build a foundation for new opportunities and independence for our community members at BIIN.

In service,

Ana-Luisa Ortiz

BIIN Director

Brazos Interfaith Immigration Network