Background Statement
The Rocky Mountain Welcome Center was created out of the passion of its founding and current executive director, Diana Higuera, an immigrant herself, for helping immigrants and refugees in their integration process. Diana experienced firsthand the same issues other immigrants and refugees face, including the "cultural shock" curve, and mourning the loss of her own culture when she decided to stay in the US. This understanding motivated her to work with her immigrant and refugee community in different aspects of integration. The RMWC developed from those experiences and the realization of the significant and continuing needs of the immigrant and refugee communities. In 2027 RMWC opened its doors with four shared space partner organizations: African Leadership Group, Focus Points, Interfaith Center of Light, and the Mountain View United Church. RMWC offers various services focused on the Denver-Metro area's international immigrant and refugee communities. Since then, RMWC has been listening to, adapting, and working to meet the ongoing needs of immigrants/refugees, primarily in an underserved area of southwest Aurora. Programming grew organically from a deep understanding of the needs of these community members.
RMWC believes that the process of integration is a two-way street that includes immigrants, refugees, and receiving communities--and that immigrants and refugees are assets to the community. RMWC serves the immigrant population primarily in Aurora, Colorado, where, according to the City of Aurora, one in five residents are foreign-born. Aurora Public Schools notes its students come from over 130 countries and speak over 160 languages.
RMWC has worked hard to foster activities that could make a collective impact and has benefited greatly from the connections and relationships it has within many newly arrived refugee and immigrant communities. RMWC programming supports immigrants and refugees in their journeys of community integration through access to educational programs, social bridging activities and culturally appropriate direct services. As an integration-focused organization, RMWC builds social bridging and community networking opportunities into everything we do.