Solas 2021

Thank you for joining us for Solas 2021!

Solas 2021 may be over, but you can still make a donation.

The Solas Awards has always been about coming together and shining a light on the contributions immigrants have been making in our city and region. This year, it is especially important we continue this tradition. Solas 2021 will be an evening of inclusion, learning, and connecting virtually.

Please join us on Wednesday, March 3rd, 4:30 to 6 p.m. EST as we mark The Welcoming Center’s 18th anniversary of promoting inclusive economic growth through immigrant integration.

Dennis Clark Solas Award Honoree: Dr. José Ramón Fernández-Peña

Each year, The Welcoming Center presents the Dennis Clark Solas Award to an individual or individuals whose vision, voice, and life illuminate the positive impact immigrants have on our region.

We are proud to present this year’s Solas Award to Dr. José Ramón Fernández-Peña, an extraordinary person who built his career around making sure immigrants are protected, valued, respected, and included in meaningful ways to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for everyone.

Dr. Fernández-Peña is a visionary leader who has been at the forefront of immigrant inclusion in the United States for decades. As the current president of the American Public Health Association, the founder of the Welcome Back Initiative, a founding member of IMPRINT, and a friend and advisor to The Welcoming Center who helped us design and launch our International Professionals Program, Dr. Fernández-Peña is a highly esteemed, yet humble advocate for equitable policies and programs that respect and value the contributions of all people, regardless of where they were born.

READ DR. FERNÁNDEZ-PEÑA'S FULL BIO

Sponsor Solas 2021

Want to sponsor Solas 2021? Learn more in our sponsorship brochure.

READ THE SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE

Do you have questions about sponsoring Solas 2021? Email rebecca@welcomingcenter.org to learn more.

Solas 2021 Sponsors

Champions

Citizens Bank

Independence Blue Cross

Shirin & Rudy Karsan

Hao-Li & Evan Loh

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Partners

Center City Orthodontics / Dr. Tejjy Thomas

John Chou and Teresa Wallace

Patrick Mahanger and Dr. Kevin Baumlin

Sustainers

Bob & Pat Aglira

Nina Chen & Eric Langenmayr

The Philadelphia Foundation

Bill & Mary Stock

Supporter PLUS

WES Global Talent Bridge

Supporters

Alex Costabile & Susan Dando

AmeriHealth Caritas

Boston Consulting Group

Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP

Mary Mullany / Ballard Spahr

John Touey & Jin Cho

Wells Fargo

Friends

Benito Cachinero-Sánchez and Deborah Gorman

Deloitte Services LLP

Jack & Lisa Heuer

Rivers Casino Philadelphia

Salveson Stetson Group, Inc.

Santander

Fans

Anonymous

Breakwater Accounting + Advisory Corp

CCI Consulting

Miya Choi & Leo Chang

Express Employment Professionals

Independence Foundation

Carlton L. Johnson / Archer

Ferne Kuhn

Main Line Health

Claire Neiger / Michael T. Sosnowicz & Assoc.

Northwestern University, Office of the Provost

David Murphy & Rebecca Rathje

Anthony & Nicole Pumphrey

The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia

University City Science Center

Wawa

Jim & Wendy Wenke

A Solas Special Presentation: 300 Years of Immigration Policy in America: Past, Present and Future

Our Board Member, Bill Stock, will be presenting a session on Wednesday, March 24, 2:30 to 4 p.m. on the history and current state of U.S. immigration followed by a Q & A and discussion with Anuj Gupta.

William (Bill) Stock is a founding partner of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, where he leads the Employment-Based Immigration Team from the firm’s Philadelphia headquarters. A nationally known speaker on immigration law, he has taught at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law and presented at national conferences of bar associations, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and the Employee Relocation Council (ERC). In addition to his client work, he is a Past President (2016-17) of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the 16,000-member national organization of immigration lawyers.

This webinar is presented by Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP and The Welcoming Center.

Solas 2021: WELCOME

Have you seen the original artwork created through collaboration between The Welcoming Center’s participants and staff?

The I Belong volunteer group invited the community to write WELCOME in different languages, as we celebrate coming together in one TWC community.

Contributors:

Arabic and French: Amel Kherbachene
Chinese: Li Zhang
Creole: Pierre Led’s Colas (DJ PLC)
English: Peter Gonzales
Khmer: Rith Sorn
Korean: Angela Choi
Portuguese: Cristina Zanoni
Russian: Ekaterina and Sophie Nevzorova
Spanish: Natalia Ximena Moreno Bautista
Swahili: Maureen Smith
Tagalog: Dannah Ruth Hattaway

I Belong is a group of graduates of The Welcoming Center’s Immigrant Leadership Institute (ILI). Learn more about ILI.