Neighbors Link

With the inspirational mission ‘to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants’, Neighbors Link is one of the most critical and effective 501(c)(3) charitable organizations in the B&NC Mag area. Founded twenty years ago by a group of local community leaders, and based in their headquarters at 27 Columbus Avenue in Mt. Kisco, Neighbors Link now offers a wide array of programming and provides help in one form or another to over 6,000 people a year! Carola Otero Bracco, the dynamo CEO at the helm of this impressive organization, explains, “A significant immigration population is a meaningful part of the economic and social reality in our community - and integration of the whole community is a two-way process.” With a staff of about 50, including an in-house legal practice, and over 500 regularly contributing local volunteers, Neighbors Link is doing the real and practical work of truly integrating the local immigrant population.

CAROLA BRACCO

Education is central to a group of Neighbors Link initiatives. The Family Center hosts parent education and early childhood development and academic support for children, and serves as a gateway for linking families to related community resources. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes offered in conjunction with Westchester Community College, and a range of adult education classes, are available seven days a week, for people of all ages and abilities. Parent education programs provide guidance on the academic success and other aspects of raising bilingual children. Neighbors Link offers classes to achieve citizenship, helps families navigate the local school system, and provides workforce training. Adult Education Director, Ramiro Rincon, explains, “English language education has always been a core part of programming at Neighbors Link. It not only provides immigrant families with essential tools for integration, but it allows opportunities for long-term residents to sit side by side with newer neighbors, practicing English skills together and forging relationships that make our community stronger.” And Maria, an ESL learner, said, “I like attending Neighbors Link English classes because they adapt to my schedule and offer me a lot of options for learning. Since each class might be a little different, I find it very interesting how I pick up something new at every session that I attend!”

Another one of Neighbors Link’s key programs is the Neighbors Link Worker Center, which provides an exchange for workers and employers to meet, negotiate and hire day, project-based, and long- term workers. Workers are available for landscaping, seasonal clean-up, carpentry, masonry, painting, housekeeping, and even care for a loved one. Using the Worker Center makes the whole process safer, clearer, and fairer for the employer and the worker. Luisa Granda-Rodriguez, Director of Operations and Community Development, comments, “The Worker Center facilitates connections to employment, supports advocacy for fair wages, and provides workforce development training to help people move toward economic stability. The workers who come to Neighbors Link for support have been deeply impacted by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is an honor to stand alongside them as they self-advocate for fair and just policies that impact all of us.”

Neighbors Link also provides the full array of immigration legal services, from citizenship applications to removal defense proceedings. Remarkably, Neighbors Link has six lawyers and a crew of paralegals on staff, working as a dedicated powerhouse legal practice, handling over 650 cases per year! One Neighbors Link client put it plainly, “My family and I were not in the position to hire an attorney when we needed help with our complicated immigration matters, so the help of the Neighbors Link attorneys was invaluable.” And another Neighbors Link client explained, “Knowing that legal services are here at Neighbors Link makes people feel like they have a place to go for help that they trust and where they feel safe.”

Neighbors Link was able to respond to the unique pressures the covid pandemic put on the immigrant community with a full offering of online programs and expanded capabilities for community outreach. Early on in the pandemic Neighbors Link started making 1,000 phone calls a week to check-in on community needs. Neighbors Link also partnered with Feeding Westchester to ensure the community had access to fresh and shelf stable food. In 2021, as part of the New York State Vaccine Equity Task Force, Neighbors Link has worked to provide reliable information and assistance with obtaining vaccines. And Neighbors Link has increased its efforts to address what is known as the ‘digital gap’ that the immigrant community faces in the school system and is partnered with the Bedford Central School District to identify and assist children who need help accessing technology or other educational support.

Finally, Neighbors Link plays an important role in educating the community-at-large about issues related to immigration. Neighbors Link provides cultural awareness training to community members, congregations at houses of worship, school districts and local law enforcement, including over 400 local police officers each year - all in order to spread the message that holistic integration of the immigrant community strengthens the whole community.

Volunteers and volunteerism are the heart of Neighbors Link. As Volunteer Manager, Martha Palomino, puts it, “One of the most important ways we accomplish our mission is through our volunteer programs. At Neighbors Link we are committed to bringing diverse communities together by engaging hundreds of volunteers in our programs each year. These opportunities inspire a culture of collaboration and integration between long term and newer residents.” About half of all volunteers are high schoolers, whose long term views of immigrants, immigration, and charity are deeply impacted by their work with Neighbors Link. And central to all of Neighbors Link’s work are the ‘Friends of Neighbors Link’ - a group of about 40 most dedicated volunteers who started out raising money to buy textbooks for Neighbors Link clients and now do everything from public advocacy and reaching out to elected officials to planning and running fundraisers and community events.

Neighbors Link continues to grow in scope and breadth of offering each year, and has recently added a center in Yonkers to their Mt. Kisco and Ossining locations, ensuring immigrants throughout Westchester County have access to programs. While Neighbors Link has been awarded special recognition for its work from the State of New York and other authorities, and receives public and grant financing, the charity relies heavily on private charitable contributions. Carola Bracco sums it up saying,

“Neighbors Link works to serve the whole community; Neighbors Link is not a geographic location, it’s really a moral concept.”