April is National Volunteer Month! As a small community-based organization, CIANA is powered by a host of hardworking volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of immigrants in Queens.
Every aspect of CIANA’s programming relies on volunteers, from teaching our adult ESL and Civics classes, tutoring our elementary school students, providing legal and case management assistance, and helping out at our SONYC middle school program.
Despite living in an era of COVID-19 and social distancing, CIANA’s volunteers are working remotely to get a complete count in the 2020 Census and to ensure clients’ case management needs are met.
Some volunteers live right here in Astoria; others come from Manhattan, Brooklyn or even outside the five boroughs. Many of our volunteers are driven to help by their own background as an immigrant or child of immigrants; others are motivated by altruism and solidarity.
What all our volunteers have in common, however, is a deep desire to assist the immigrant community and immigrant families. CIANA is deeply grateful for all our past and present volunteers who enable CIANA to fulfill its mission of helping new Americans integrate into life in the United States. Thank you to all our volunteers!
In honor of National Volunteer Month, as well as National Volunteer Week, which will be April 19-25, we’ll be posting stories of our volunteers who are still hard at work serving CIANA’s client base. In the meantime, enjoy pictures of CIANA’s volunteers in action: