Our Mission
The Ola Immigrant Welcome Center guides and equips immigrants to thrive in their new community. We do this by:
Providing customized, coordinated care plans.
Collaborating with partner organizations that provide services.
Offering in-house programs that fill key gaps in service offerings.
Engaging and mobilizing the greater community.
Creating opportunities to celebrate culture and build community.
In offering support and services, The Immigrant Welcome Center will not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religious heritage, country of origin, native language, or legal status.
Our Values
Access: We ensure that recent arrivals and established residents have access to everything they need to flourish in their new home communities.
Belonging: We help immigrants feel welcome in their new home communities.
Collaboration: We work closely with others who share our vision and values and do not offer services that partners already provide.
Dignity: We treat all those we serve as vital contributors to our community.
Excellence: We always strive to do our best.
Faith: We believe that a better life is always possible and that hope is never far away.
Our Origin
Ola was born out of BLOC’s commitment to serving the Price Hill neighborhood in Cincinnati, OH. Founded by Dr. Dwight and Stephanie Young, BLOC’s vision was simple yet powerful: to build connections and create safe spaces where students, families, and adults could thrive despite difficult circumstances.
As Price Hill became home to an increasing number of immigrants—particularly a growing Hispanic population—BLOC recognized the need to expand its efforts to serve its new neighbors. This led to the creation of Ministerios BLOC, led by Walter Vásquez. Ministerios BLOC launched youth development programs and English language classes to support immigrant families. As these programs grew and successfully helped individuals integrate into their new communities, a greater vision emerged.
After much discernment, BLOC’s leadership decided to expand its reach and deepen its impact by creating Ola—a dedicated space and team focused on welcoming and supporting immigrant neighbors from all nations. Ola stands for One in Love and Action, reflecting our belief that God has created us as one people, called to reflect His image in unity. The name also draws inspiration from Jesus' teaching on the greatest commandments—loving God and loving our neighbors. In this teaching, Jesus redefined ‘neighbor’ as someone from a different background, challenging us to love sacrificially, even when it requires stepping beyond our comfort zones to meet real needs.
At Ola, we seek to embody unconditional love for those who often face misunderstanding and marginalization due to their culture, language, or country of origin. Our mission is to grow a community of people committed to following Jesus’ call to love our immigrant neighbors in action—offering welcome, support, and the dignity of belonging.