Title
Authorizing proper City officials to accept a stipend of $2000 from Welcoming America, accept a dues scholarship of $750 from Welcoming America and authorize the payment of the Welcoming America Dues for 2022 in the amount of $750 from the stipend.
Body
WHEREAS, Welcoming America is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to encourage and support communities to be more inclusive and welcoming towards immigrants, and
WHEREAS, Welcoming America connects leaders in community, government, and nonprofits sectors to build on the great work happening in local communities by providing tested methods and approaches to create inclusive, welcoming places for immigrants, and
WHEREAS, The Welcoming America Network’s membership program offers tools, resources, technical assistance, and a global network to help nonprofit and government partners transform communities into more welcoming places: and
WHEREAS, in January 2021 Welcoming America launched the Inclusive & Collaborative Community of Practice as part of its Belonging Begins with Us Campaign; and
WHEREAS, this Inclusive & Collaborative Community of Practice was an opportunity for Welcoming Network peers to discuss foundational principles, innovations, challenges, and solutions for organizations that are working to ensure immigrants can access and contribute to Community Advisory Boards; and
WHEREAS, Welcoming America selected Saint Paul Assistant City Attorney, Edmundo D. Lijo as a member of the leadership team for the Community of Practice Initiative to assist with facilitating the Practice; and
WHEREAS, Welcoming America in return for Mr. Lijo’s participation on the leadership team has offered a stipend in the amount of $2000.00 to the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the educational and networking opportunities offered through membership in Welcoming America would be of significant benefit to the City of Saint Paul and our residents, and
WHEREAS, participation in Welcoming America would provide an opportunity to acquire technical support and knowledge to develop and improve the City of Saint Paul’s inclusion programming, and
WHEREAS, we recognize that participating in Welcoming America would benefit the residents of the City of St. Paul, and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint has been a member of Welcoming America since 2019 and St. Paul City Attorney’s Office recommends continuing the City’s membership in Welcoming America for 2022; and
WHEREAS, membership dues for Welcoming America for 2022 are $1500.00; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the stipend discussed above, Welcoming America has offered the City of Saint Paul a scholarship for the 2022 membership in the amount of $750.00 leaving a balance of $750.00 for Saint Paul’s 2022 membership dues: and
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the St. Paul City Council authorizes the St. Paul City Attorney, Lyndsey M. Olson, and her designees to accept the $2000.00 stipend, accept the $750 scholarship, and utilize $750.00 from this stipend to pay for balance of the membership dues in Welcoming America for the year 2022.