Welcoming Fort Wayne, and its supporting organizations, is now accepting nominations for the Diversity Awards, which celebrate the contributions of immigrants and refugees to the greater Fort Wayne community.

The brief award nomination form can be found at www.welcomingfw.org by clicking on the Diversity Awards menu item; it includes six categories: Positive Role Model, Community Organization, Entrepreneur of Excellence, Diverse Company of the Year, Lifetime Achiever and Youth Leader. Anyone can submit a nomination, and all submissions are due by August 15.

Winners will be presented with their awards at the Welcoming Week Diversity Awards Breakfast, hosted by Purdue University Fort Wayne, on Friday, September 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the Walb Ballroom. The event is free to attend and a light continental breakfast will be served. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to Melissa Rinehart with Welcoming Fort Wayne at welcomingfw@gmail.com

The Diversity Awards Breakfast will cap off a week of events celebrating Welcoming Week, which is recognized in cities across the United States during the week of September 14 – 23. Welcoming Week’s purpose is to bring together immigrants, refugees and native-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone in our communities.

Welcoming Fort Wayne is a local non-profit dedicated to promoting immigrant integration into the greater Fort Wayne area by supporting economic development, ensuring equity in education, government, health and social services, as well as promoting an appreciation of arts and culture.

Organizations supporting the Welcoming Week Diversity Awards Breakfast include: Welcoming Fort Wayne, Purdue University Fort Wayne, the City of Fort Wayne, Amani Family Services, Trinity English Lutheran Church, the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, The YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, Friends of the Third World, Associated Churches, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Catholic Charities and Many Nations Church.