Indiana is a welcoming state. To receive those from other regions of the country and the world is part of who we are.
At different times in our state’s history, communities have found their way here, knowing there would be a place to live, a community to be part of, a sense of welcome. Granted, the landscape of our history is not without its shadows. There were times when we failed at welcoming those who weren’t like us. Differences were sometimes disastrous and even diabolical.
But Indiana is in the middle of a movement that could be called monumental, even historical. Cultures and communities are moving here in growing numbers. The patchwork of our city is becoming an increasingly vivid testimony to the beauty of diversity. Now, Patchwork Indy is transitioning into a new way of welcoming with the Private Sponsorship program of the Welcome Corps. This exciting program is giving people all over the state a new vision of how to support and encourage some of the 117 million displaced around the world in 2023.
This new program could open up numerous avenues and locations for Hoosiers to bring refugees into all parts of our state. It has the potential to expand and transform the Indiana workforce and develop new and exciting communities. As we work with groups of individuals all over Indiana who have chosen to sponsor refugees and refugee families, Patchwork Indy is confident and proud that, in a new way, Indiana is once again being seen as a welcoming state.
Bruce Garrison,
Chief Executive Officer
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