How It All Began
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, destroyed many lives and forever changed many more. One of the lives lost was Terence Manning. Terence’s brother, Phil, and Phil’s wife, Carolyn, wanted to create something positive out of the tragedy. On October 7, 2001, Carolyn saw a photograph in the local news of a political refugee family from Afghanistan now living in Phoenix. The Manning’s realized this family sought the same things they did–safety, housing, and a future for their children. They began collecting donations of household goods and clothing for the Afghan family from their friends and neighbors. They were seeking to honor Terence’s death by welcoming this family, leading to the founding of The Welcome To America Project (WTAP).
We’ve Come a Long Way!
During the last 20 years, WTAP has continued to welcome recently arrived refugees. We create meaningful interactions and provide much-needed resources that empower our new neighbors to reach self-sufficiency and positively impact the community. In that time, WTAP has welcomed more than 15,000 refugees from over 40 countries.