Welcoming Fort Wayne Awards
The Annual Welcoming Fort Wayne Awards celebrate the achievements of exceptional immigrants and refugees, native community individuals, organizations, and companies that have demonstrated a strong commitment to multiculturalism and have shown dedication to creating a welcoming community.
The awards are presented during Welcoming Week by Welcoming Fort Wayne-Allen County, a chapter of Welcoming America and an initiative of Amani Family Services in partnership with Allen County.
Save the date
2027 Welcoming Fort Wayne Awards: Sept. 17, 2027
Congratulations to previous Welcoming Fort Wayne and Diversity Awards Recipients listed below.
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Lifetime Achiever: Carissa R. Lahrman, Fort Wayne Sister Cities and AMP Lab
Emerging Leader: Lizette Carmona, LC Tax & Business Solutions
Welcoming Nonprofit: Heartland Communities: Rose Avenue Education Farm
Ambassador of the Year: Don Cates, Three Rivers Federal Credit Union
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Lifetime Achiever: Tom Herr, Fort Wayne Sister Cities
Emerging Leader: Sandra Garza, Fuerza Unida
Welcoming Nonprofit: Alliance Health Centers
Ambassador of the Year: Meg Distler, St. Joseph Community Health Foundation
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Lifetime Achiever: Kun Yekha, Fort Wayne - Mawlamyine Friendship Cities
Emerging Leader: Gaby Aleman, Iglesia Principe de Paz
Welcoming Nonprofit: Fort Wayne Chinese Friends and Family Association
Ambassador of the Year: Howard Chapman, Community Volunteer
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Lifetime Achiever: Dr. Charles L. Coats, Anthony Medical Associates
Emerging Leader: Vanessa Escobar, YMCA and Healthy Life Nutrition
Welcoming Nonprofit: The Literacy Alliance
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Lifetime Achiever: Dorothy K. Kittaka, Japanese American Association, FAME and Sister Cities
Emerging Leader: Hthamay Paw, Amani Family Services
Welcoming Nonprofit: Neighborhood Health
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Lifetime Achiever: Ferdinand (Fey Fey) Moussou, St. Augustine Church and African Food Fest
Emerging Leader: Malak El-Taleb, Allen County Clerk’s Office and Amani C.A.B.
Welcoming Nonprofit (tie): Friends of the Third World and Fort Wayne Sport Club
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Positive Role Model: Farah Combs, PFW-Arabic Program Instructor
Entrepreneur of Excellence: Samuel Melo, SpanicUS Interpretation Services
Diverse Employer: George Rongos, George’s International Market
Lifetime Achiever: Ana Guisti, Center for Nonviolence
Emerging Leader: Yvonne Johnson
Social Justice: Ahmed Abdelmageed
Storyteller Award: Aaron Robles, Founders Spark
Community Organization: Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
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Positive Role Model (tie): Pong Simon, FWCS-Interpreter and Alice Jordan-Miles, PFW Behavioral Health & Family Studies Institute
Entrepreneur of Excellence: Fernando Zapari, El Mexicano Newspaper
Diverse Employer: Catholic Charities
Lifetime Achiever: Josefina Cervantes, Amani Family Services
Youth Leader: Rabia Ibrahim
Social Justice: Samuel W. Jarjour, Arab Fest Fort Wayne
Community Organization: International House
stay tuned: nominations will open may 2027
Welcoming Fort Wayne Award Categories
Individual Nomination:
Lifetime Achiever: Honors an experienced leader who has devoted a significant portion of their career and volunteer work to the immigrant and refugee community. Their service has deeply impacted multiculturalism in Allen County for a decade or more.
Emerging Leader: Honors a newcomer to the multicultural community who has demonstrated exceptional resilience and commitment to improving the community and lives of immigrant/refugee families through their burgeoning career or volunteer work.
Welcoming Organization Nomination:
Nonprofit Organization: Recognizes a nonprofit organization that has made a lasting effort to be inclusive and welcoming through engagements with the refugee and immigrant community. In addition to its external efforts, the organization demonstrates multicultural representation at various levels of leadership and has taken initiative in hiring immigrants and refugees in Allen County, Indiana.
For-profit Organization: Recognizes a for-profit organization that has made a lasting effort to be inclusive and welcoming through engagements with the refugee and immigrant community. In addition to its external efforts, the organization demonstrates multicultural representation at various levels of leadership and has taken initiative in hiring immigrants and refugees in Allen County, Indiana.
thank you to the 2026 Welcoming sponsors!
Champion Sponsors
Advocate Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
aclu of indiana
city of fort wayne metro
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Please contact Erin Arnold at 260-484-1414 x. 529 or by email at earnold@amanifamilyservices.org