Norman Rockwell Museum to Host Annual
United States Citizenship Ceremony on June 14th

For further information:

Stockbridge, MA, May 30, 2019—

Norman Rockwell Museum will partner with the Berkshire Immigrant Center, the Berkshire Community College Adult Learning Program, and the Literacy Network of South Berkshire to host their annual United States Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony on Friday, June 14th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Now in its eighth year at the Museum, the ceremony celebrates residents of Western Massachusetts who have immigrated to the United States from around the world.

The special event will give members of the community the opportunity to welcome 20 fellow residents from 15 different countries as they are sworn-in as new naturalized citizens of our country. This year, due to increased interest and need, the Museum and the Berkshire Immigrant Center will host a second ceremony on September 20 to welcome the next group of new U.S. citizens.

“Norman Rockwell’s art celebrates our common humanity,” notes Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. “It is an honor to welcome our new citizens to this country, and celebrate the importance of our nation’s diverse people.”

As Norman Rockwell Museum’s Four Freedoms exhibition continues its tour across the U.S. and abroad, the naturalization ceremony serves as a timely and important reminder of the themes expressed in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1941 speech and illustrated in Rockwell’s iconic paintings. Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms opens at the Caen Memorial Museum, in Normandy, France on June 6, marking the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

The Berkshire Immigrant Center, Literacy Network of South Berkshire, and the Berkshire Community College Adult Learning Program work closely with the county’s immigrants on their journey toward citizenship. The Berkshire Immigrant Center guides immigrants through the entire application process, helping them to navigate complex legal and administrative procedures. Michelle Lopez, Executive Director of BIC explains, “It is an honor for all of us at the Berkshire Immigrant Center to be a part of our clients’ journeys to citizenship, there is no greater reward for us at BIC than to share in this celebration with them. We cannot wait to welcome everyone being sworn in as new U.S. citizens on June 14th!”

The Adult Learning Program supports immigrants in their study of the English language, and the Literacy Network provides one-on-one tutoring to help immigrants study for the naturalization exam. The Executive Director of the Literacy Network, Jennifer Vrabel remarked, “We are thrilled that the new Keator Family Scholarship can help make navigating the long and challenging naturalization process easier for new Americans,” noted Literacy Network Executive Director Jennifer Vrabel. “We salute the dedication and hard work of the immigrants who will be naturalized on June 14, and we offer our heartfelt congratulations to the new citizens and their families.”

BCC President Ellen Kennedy echoed Vrabel’s comments, adding: “The BCC Adult Learning Program is an important program in our community. It helps provide students with the skills they need to succeed in their educational or employment goals. The College is proud to celebrate our students as they take part in this naturalization ceremony at the Norman Rockwell Museum.”

For the fourth year, the ceremony will be presided over by the Honorable Joan M. McMenemy, First Justice of Berkshire County Juvenile Court. U.S. Supervisory Immigrations Services officer Corey Elya will serve as the Master of Ceremonies with remarks from Laurie Norton Moffatt, , Director/CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum, Michelle Lopez, Executive Director of the Berkshire Immigrant Center, Jennifer Vrabel, Executive Director of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire, and Ana Suffish, Director of the Berkshire Community College Adult Learning Program. Color guard will be provided by the Williamstown American Legion Post 152, with singer Lina Orozco Grillon and pianist Karen Tchougourian performing music during the event.

Priority seating is given to new citizens and their families; Museum visitors are welcome to observe the ceremony based on space availability. A reception will follow for new citizens and their families on the Museum’s terrace.

The ceremony and reception are presented with the generous support of Berkshire Bank Foundation, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Campoli, Monteleone & Mozian, P.C., The Matthew and Hannah Keator Family Foundation; Donated goods and services have been provided by several community businesses. Support for the event and the efforts of the partner organizations is encouraged, and can be arranged by contacting the Museum at 413.931.2221.
About the Berkshire Community College Adult Learning Program
Through a Massachusetts Adult and Community Learning Services Grant, the Adult Learning Program at Berkshire Community College provides free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes to adults in the Berkshire County area. The program’s goal is to provide students with the skills needed to qualify for further education, job training, more satisfying employment and to help all students reach their full potential as a family member, productive worker and citizen. The Adult Learning Program offers day and evening beginner, intermediate and advanced ESOL classes at the Berkshire Community College South County Center and Lee High School. Students who are unable to commit to the classes can learn English through the on-line Distance Learning course and students preparing to transition to college can enroll in the Bridge to College course.  For more information, please call 413-236-5260 or email alp@berkshirecc.edu.About Berkshire Immigrant Center
Each year the Berkshire Immigrant Center assists over one hundred local residents in their pursuit of U.S. citizenship. In general, to obtain U.S. citizenship, one must hold legal permanent resident (green card) status for a minimum of five years (three years if married this whole time to a U.S. citizen), take an exam on U.S. history and civics, demonstrate proficiency in the English language, and be of “good moral character” among other requirements. The Berkshire Immigrant Center offers assistance with every aspect of the naturalization process including screening for eligibility, application support, disability and fee waivers, legal assistance, transportation, advocacy with USCIS, and English language, history and civics classes. For more information about the Center, please call 413.445.4881 or email: info@berkshireic.com.

About Literacy Network of South Berkshire
The mission of the Literacy Network is to transform the lives of adult learners, both immigrant and U.S.-born, through the power of literacy, education, and advocacy. The Literacy Network provides free, individualized, one-on-one instruction in reading, high-school equivalency test preparation, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and citizenship test preparation.

In early 2019, the Literacy Network launched the Matthew and Hannah Keator Family Scholarship for New Americans, Berkshire County’s first scholarship program to support immigrants in their pursuit of U.S. citizenship. Scholarship awardees receive financial assistance to obtain legal services from the Berkshire Immigrant Center during the screening and application process, as well as direct support to defray the cost of the federal naturalization application. Scholarship recipients are also assigned a tutor from LitNet, who works one-on-one with the applicant to prepare for the culmination of the naturalization process–the civics and literacy exams.
Learn more about the Literacy Network’s mission at www.litnetsb.org or by calling 413-243-0471.

This event is generously supported by:

Berkshire Bank
Greylock Federal Credit Union
Campoli, Monteleone & Mozian, P.C.
The Matthew and Hannah Keator Family Foundation

With in-kind support from:
Big Y, Blue Q, Dunkin Donuts, Great Barrington Bagel Co., The Marketplace Kitchen, Dunkin Donuts, Twisted Orchard Company, The Bookloft, Walmart, Mass MoCa