By Cathy Holt

           International Link, established in August 1998, was the inspiration of Geri Solomon, who started the program to serve the needs of Asheville’s diverse immigrant community.

           I’ve been a volunteer most of my adult life to help people from other cultures,” says Solomon. “I went to a conference for teachers of English as a Second Language [ESL], and a light bulb went off — ‘I need to start an international center for people in Asheville!’ So I did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people. The YWCA was very supportive and gave me free space to hold public forums. I did three of those, then I wrote a grant and it worked!”

The nonprofit resource center at 87 Patton Avenue offers help in addressing and overcoming language barriers to anyone in the community. Beneficiaries and clients include immigrants, teachers working with immigrant students, health care professionals, human services providers, and employers.

“We offer tutoring in English and strongly believe in meeting people more than halfway by learning their languages,” says Solomon. “So we offer many levels of Spanish classes and Spanish conversation practice, we offer Russian classes and Russian conversation hours, as well as French conversation practice hours. For other languages, we can connect people to tutors.”

The organization can provide tutors and interpreters for Albanian, Bosnian, Hmong, Hungarian, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. The library contains ESL literature, books and magazines in many languages for adults and children, and audiotapes and flash cards for learning languages.

In addition to direct tutoring services, International Link trains those interested in becoming tutors. Volunteers are asked for a minimum commitment of an hour a week for three to six months. Those interested should contact Solomon for an interview at 828-255-9104.

“We also connect people with interpreters to go to doctor’s appointments, we help kids with homework if their parents aren’t able to because of limited English,” says Solomon. “We help people learn how to connect with employers; we help employers connect with good workers. We recently provided interpreters for a company which was changing benefits and wanted to be sure their workforce understood.”

Other Services

International Link also helps immigrants learn American cultural expectations. Solomon says, “We help people learn cultural norms such as punctuality on the job and calling in sick. If there are any communication barriers once the person starts on the job, we help the employer communicate with the employee. We also help people connect with other services in the community, as well as help them understand a bill; we’ve had landlords call us when they need tenants to know they’re having a handyperson come to the house.”

The organization collaborates with such diverse organizations as Catholic Social Services, Pisgah Legal Services, Emma Family Resource Center, Buncombe County Health Center, and the Department of Social Services. Even the Chamber of Commerce calls on them sometimes.

Services are free, although for some a donation is requested. People often give back with volunteer labor, and some leave cash donations. Other funding comes via donations from churches, such as Jubilee! Community and the Unitarian Universalist Church, and through a support group, “Friends of International Link.” Special events and sales from a consignment gallery provide additional income. The gallery features photography, clothing, traditional Hmong and Mexican hand-embroidered items, Guatemalan woven goods, and jewelry made from Costa Rican rainforest seeds.

Cross-Cultural Programs

Solomon says, “We encourage cross-cultural understanding in our community through cross-cultural programs as well as volunteer opportunities. We’ve had a Chinese woman tutored by a Mexican woman, and it is rare for two people of those different cultures to sit down with each other.” Panels for improving cross-cultural understanding have done presentations for A-B Tech, the American Association of University Women, and a Workers’ Compensation conference at Grove Park Inn. The presentation can be tailored for a hospital staff, a church group, or workplace.

Some of International Link\’s 100 volunteers help weekly with tutoring, others only occasionally. Volunteers are currently needed to assist with general administrative support; anyone with bilingual skills or who would like to help with special events is always welcome.

For more information about International Link, or to sign up as a volunteer, tutor, or to take a class, call Geri Solomon at 828-255-9104 or visit the web site at /internationallink.org/pp/.