No matter where you come from or who you are, southwest Minnesota is where we all can belong. Join us in celebrating Welcoming Week in our region September 9–18, 2022! Welcoming Week is a time when a chorus of people from around the world —in communities large and small, rural and urban—celebrate the benefits of an inclusive society and deepen their commitment to creating places that are welcoming to everyone, including immigrants and refugees.
This is an opportunity to lift up the values that unite us as neighbors, parents, and colleagues, and to make our communities more welcoming to all those who call southwest Minnesota home. Southwest Initiative Foundation is proud to be part of Welcoming Week as a Welcoming America member. Our sense of belonging is tied to the places and spaces that we live, work, and rest in. It is what motivates us to build a greater “we” — because we each know what it means to not belong somewhere, we are even more empowered to help foster belonging for others.
Local Welcoming Week celebrations
Welcoming Week events will take place across our region. This is the third year we’ve supported southwest Minnesota communities in building a sense of belonging by celebrating Welcoming Week locally; see a list of local celebrations below and visit our events calendar more event information as community-led plans come together.
- Glencoe, Sept. 17
- Granite Falls, Sept. 17
- Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Sept. 11
- Marshall, Sept. 20
- Tracy, Sept. 4
- Willmar, Sept. 10
- Worthington, Sept. 25
About Welcoming Week
This year, Welcoming Week celebrates its 10th anniversary. What started as a small collection of events in U.S. communities has since expanded to reach more than 400 events annually across the world, signaling the broad commitment to welcoming values. Join us in 2022 to recognize and celebrate the people, places, and values that ensure everyone feels welcome and belongs in our communities, no matter where they come from. Southwest Initiative Foundation is a Welcoming America member.