Thanks to a grant from LDRNY, 12 students completed Concordia College’s Summer ESL program in Bronxville, designed to help them better develop their language and cultural skills so they can succeed in high school.

The students are from the Fujianese province of China, a growing immigrant group in New York City, which was severely affected by the aftermath of 9/11. Many of the students’ parents work in shops and restaurants in New York City’s Chinatown section. In many cases, the students are the only “interpreters” in the family.

LDRNY, in concert with Lutheran Social Services Metropolitan New York, has also funded the New Life Center, a special counseling and resource program for the Fujianese and other Asian immigrants in New York City. The students’ counselor at Concordia was Wendy Wang of Lutheran Family and Community Services in Chinatown.

“The students are now in a far better position to succeed in high school and some are even considering college. Previously, that would have been an unimaginable opportunity for their parents,” she said