African Community Center: 2025 Manolita’s Grant Recipient
The Manolita’s Grant recipient for 2025 went to the African Community Center in Denver, Colorado for their close work with immigrants and refugees. Specifically, the grant supported their new Reading Roots program aimed at providing young children with books in their family’s native language, as well as English. Many of these families don’t have access to books in their native language and therefore, caretakers aren’t as easily able to read to their children. By providing family’s with multiple dual language books, they’re able to take time during the day to connect with each other and continue to foster that caregiver-child relationship.
Who they are
ACC is a refugee resettlement agency dedicated to helping refugees and immigrants rebuild safe, sustainable lives in Colorado. Founded in 2001, ACC has grown into a team of more than 50 multilingual staff who serve over 1,500 refugees, asylees, and other immigrants each year.
What they do
They provide educational programs and holistic social services that support newcomers as they navigate U.S. systems and culture, achieve economic self-sufficiency, and build stable, connected lives in their new communities. The new Reading Roots literacy program provides multi-language children’s books to refugee and immigrant families with children ages 0–5, strengthening parent-child connection, home language development, and cultural belonging.
Why it’s important
With more than 550,000 foreign-born residents calling Colorado home, organizations like ACC play a critical role in ensuring refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants have access to the resources they need to thrive. ACC works to foster belonging and mutual understanding, serving as a hub for multicultural exchange where community members actively contribute to a more inclusive society.
