Welcoming the Stranger is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing free classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), computer skills, and United States citizenship exam preparation to adult immigrants, and refugees. Our mission is to help our students successfully integrate into their new communities and country and thrive both socially and economically. 

 

Founded in 1999, Welcoming the Stranger has taught more than 6,000 students from 115 different countries to date. Mobilizing over 70 highly educated volunteers each term, we offer day and evening classes virtually as well as in-person in donated spaces throughout Bucks and Montgomery County, PA, and Hunterdon County, NJ. 

 

Our students range in age from 18 to their 80s. We work with students who live in densely populated neighborhoods, many of whom are low income. The students we help live in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Lehigh and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Hunterdon and Mercer Counties in New Jersey. We are often helping disadvantaged immigrants and refugees, women with children, and those who are survivors of violence.

 

Financial support for Welcoming the Stranger comes from individuals, places of worship, and local businesses, as well as grants from area foundations, which allows all programs to remain free of charge for students. We do not accept government funding.

 

Welcoming the Stranger has been the recipient of numerous awards. These include the 2019 Renewal Award from The Atlantic Foundation; the Loretta Osbourn Volunteer Site of the Year Award from the Bucks County Agency on Aging; a “Best In Bucks” award in the Charity category from Bucks Happening; and two Best in Langhorne awards for education. Our past Executive Director was named an “Emerging Leader of Bucks and Montgomery Counties” by the Intelligencer and Bucks County Courier Times, and a “Top Ten Mover and Shaker” in Bucks County by Bucks Happening. Our current Executive Director is a 2023 Honoree of the Bucks County YWCA. WTS has a committed Board of Directors, a core staff of one full-time and two part-time employees, over 70 volunteers, and dedicated community partners that enable us to provide space for our classes.​

 

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