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EIIC News

Urgent J1 Summer Student Appeal

 

Each summer sees an influx of J1 Students to New York, many of whom arrive at the Center looking for assistance with accommodation, employment and settling into the city. The Center’s needs the assistance of the community to ensure that these Students have a safe and enjoyable experience in the US.

We are asking landlords, employers and the community at large to assist us with placing these students. If you have or know of anyone looking for summer hires or who might be interested in renting an apartment, please get in touch with the Center.

The Center is seeing a significant rise in J1 Summer Students this year, which is putting pressure on the program and the structure of community support on which it relies. To meet this demand EIIC has hired Patrick Collins, a Dublin City University student who recently graduated with a degree in Law, to help with intake and services. Based in our Bronx office, Patrick will help Muireach Shankey and other staff who are involved in this year’s intake.

The Celtic Cruise Makes Waves

The Hudson River displayed a particularly greenish hue last Wednesday as New York’s Irish came out in force for the “Celtic Cruise,” a fundraising event set up by AOH Division 7’s Celtic Charity to benefit the Emerald Isle Immigration Center- an organization whose fine work in their Queens and Bronx offices has so greatly helped Immigrants on these shores, both new and old alike since its founding in 1988.

Held aboard the glamorous cruiser The Spirit of New York, the attendees were greeted at Pier 62 by a be-kilted Irish bag-piper who played as guests embarked. Once safely aboard, the open bars across three floors of music, food, and free flowing conversation did much to help make this a night to remember for over four hundred passengers who had come out to show their support for a very worthy cause.

With music outside on the top deck provided by the Shay Mac Band, and more musical entertainment coming later from The Chris Kelly Band, The Cunningham Brothers and Celtic Cross, the dance floor saw more than its fair share of jigs and reels as the evening wore on and night began to fall on Manhattan. Crowds took in the sight of the city’s breathtaking skyline from the ships decks with glasses in hand, and even after having taken its happy passengers the length of the Hudson and back for over 3 hours people were reluctant to leave the ship as she began to make her return journey.

As they disembarked, all involved couldn’t help but remark on the cruise being such a huge success. Not only were all aboard suitably entertained, but the reason for the event was never far from people’s minds either, with the Emerald Isle Immigration Center’s Executive Director Siobhan Dennehy remarking how grateful we are to be the beneficiaries of the Celtic Cruise this year as the needs of our programs have grown throughout the recent downturn in the economy and every penny earned will go to protecting our current portfolio of services.

Press Release: President Higgins at Emerald Isle

President Higgins Visits the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Woodlawn

President Michael D. Higgins visited Emerald Isle Immigration Center on Wednesday May 2nd, accompanied by his wife Sabina, Ambassador Michael Collins and Consul General Noel Kilkenny. He was welcomed by EIIC Chair Brian O’Dwyer, members of the Center’s Board and Staff. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz greeted the President with a proclamation and declared May 2 “Irish Day” in the Borough.

The President was then introduced to all of the Center’s programs and spoke with many participants and volunteers about the work of Emerald Isle. In these difficult times he was particularly impressed by the work of the Center in alleviating the strain on the most vulnerable members of the community. Addressing the audience, President Higgins said that: “What is important is the kind of solidarity you show; the care, the instinct to look at strangers as someone like yourself.”

President Higgins was presented with a blanket that was made by the Center’s Knitting Group and met with the Gaelic Group. As a fluent gaeilgeoir he held a lively conversation with the group “ as gaeilge”, overcoming the gap between the dialects of Kerry and Connemara. The musical traditions of Ireland were represented by the beautiful singing of Mar y Courtney, who played throughout and was warmly greeted by the President and his wife.

Executive Director Siobhan Dennehy said that “We were thrilled with the opportunity to showcase the work of our staff and we were all delighted to have been part of the President’s inaugural visit to the United States.”

The assembled crowd was addressed by Chair Brian O’Dwyer, President Higgins and Board Member Jim Lombard, who made a presentation to the President. All of the speakers affirmed the importance of the work that the Center is doing, the multicultural nature of the services and the importance of community and hospitality in its work.

Emerald Isle Immigration Center: Drawing from the momentum of the campaign for immigration reform in the 1980’s, Emerald Isle was created to provide an outlet for the Irish community to receive immigration  assistance. The Center has expanded over the years to provide a broad range of services, including immigration, social services and employment programs, to a wide cross-section of the immigrant population in New York and its environs.

The Center has dedicated immigration staff in Queens and the Bronx who assists thousands of immigrants each year, helping them with anything from finding a job on arrival to processing for citizenship. These services are provided for free and are supported by the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Program, the City Council of New York, NY State and the kind donations of many individuals.

Please contact Executive Director Siobhan Dennehy for further details on the event and Emerald Isle’s programs and history.