If you are interested, please call 515-292-7103 or send us an email at info@iris-center.org and we will provide you with more details. You will be glad you did!

Visitors Coming!!!

A group of 10 Russians from Kazan will be coming on a Community Connections Program from July 13 through the first week of August. The group's program theme is Tolerance, Community Relations and Minority rights. When they return they will help with USAID's tolerance programming in Kazan.

A group of 10 Tajiks (Tajikistan) will be coming to Iowa on a Community Connections Project in September. This group's theme is Women in Leadership.

Two African high school teachers from Nigeria and Tanzania will be coming in the second week of August for five weeks in the States participating in programs designed to equip them with new skills.

If you are interested in hosting them, please call us at 515-292-7103 or email info@iris-center.org and we will provide you with more details.

IRIS and Community Connections

Linking Iowa with Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Armenia  

IRIS, Inc. brought the Community Connections program to Iowa in January 1997 and hosted 52 Ukrainians in the first year of the program.  Since then, IRIS has hosted nearly 200 participants from Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Armenia.  The participants live with Iowa families and intern with Iowa Businesses for a month.

IRIS has received support for the Community Connections program from many Iowa professional organizations and civic associations, including the Iowa Education Association, Iowa Newspaper Association, Iowa State Bar Association, Iowa State Association of Counties, Iowa League of Cities, Iowa Association of Business and Industry, and sister city and sister state organizations.

Many of the Iowa communities that have been supporting this program are reinforcing their international ties.  IRIS has received assistance in coordinating community activities from sister city organizations in Newton, Marshalltown, Oskaloosa, Muscatine, Grinnell, and Adel, Friendship Force in Cedar Rapids, and churches in Des Moines and Ankeny.

Hosting communities have included:
 

Adel Ames Baxter Cedar Rapids

Des Moines Grinnell Hull Iowa City

Kellogg Marshalltown Muscatine Newton

Oskaloosa Pella Sully Waverly

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me and for us generally.  IRIS does great job for bringing people together and I consider it to be the most valuable thing.  I keep telling Georgians how much I’ve gained from this experience.  IRIS literally helped me to design new perspectives for my career and it doesn’t happen every day, does it?”

“I was able to learn the traditions and lifestyle of various families and it was a great cultural experience!”

"I was afraid of staying in a host family!  I was worried they would not like me.  But they took me into their home, and treated me as a brother.  After a while, I felt at home!”

“Americans are very friendly, open hearted and disciplined people.”

“I noticed that everybody in America is busy with their jobs, and that they have a clean environment.  Wherever we went we were greeted with smile and all the places were very clean.  Everybody in the host family was very caring and attentive toward us.”

“My opinion about Americans greatly changed after being in America.  Now I know that Americans are very free-minded, thoughtful, pleasant and just great people.  We are truly pleased and very thankful for the hospitality and care of the American families.”

Testimonial from a Host Family

"Yunusa (our visitor) was thrilled to meet Governor Bafarawa, his wife and members of his entourage last night. I was, too.  I found the Governor’s words humbling and his courage inspiring.  It’s no wonder he is a leader.  Just as inspiring for me was to look around the room and see in the host families the embodiment of what we love about Iowa, i.e., warm hospitality and love of family.  Your vision helps spread these essential ingredients of peace worldwide."