The Next Ten
A celebration of VIA’s first decade and an invitation to help shape the next ten years of immigrant-led impact.
Voices from the Evening
In Their Words
On October 19, members of our community took the stage to share what VIA means to them. These are their words.
VIA co-founders
Niurka & Héctor
[Placeholder — the opening of Niurka and Héctor's testimonial goes here.]
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Martin Blanco
Filmmaker
I myself am an immigrant. I left Maracaibo as a young boy and grew up in Minnesota. In my day-to-day, I’m a filmmaker, and my work comes from that experience: trying to stay rooted in the traditions and rhythms I carried from my homeland, and honoring them as they evolve while mixing with the culture here.
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Ronald Rosales
Web designer & tech partner
I first connected with VIA in 2020, through my wife. What started as simply showing up to help quickly became something much bigger. Today, I'm proud to serve as VIA's web designer, developer, and tech partner, helping share our mission with the community online.
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Wendell
Co-founder
Good evening, everyone. My name is Wendell, and I'm so proud to be part of VIA. Ten years ago, Héctor, Niurka, and I were brought together by a shared experience: migration. Starting over in a new country meant facing uncertainty, barriers, and the feeling of being alone.
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Isabella
Musician & artist
When I arrived in the U.S. at eight, one of my first memories was attending a VIA Christmas dinner and meeting Venezuelan children who became some of the most integral people in my life. Through years of instability, VIA has been my constant—a family I can always turn to.
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James Cohan
James Cohan Gallery founder
For the past three years, I've had the opportunity to work closely with VIA through our Granny Square Workshop, and I've seen firsthand how something as simple as learning to crochet can bring people together. What began as an art workshop has become much more than that. It's a space where immigrants can connect, share experiences, build friendships, and find emotional support and a sense of belonging.
Read full testimonialTen Years. Thousands of Stories. One Community.
VIA was born in New York City in 2016, from a deeply personal understanding of forced migration. What began as immigrants helping immigrants became a community built on trust, dignity, solidarity, and the belief that no one should have to navigate the uncertainty of starting over.
Over the past decade, VIA has connected thousands of immigrants with trusted legal information, emotional support, English language learning, humanitarian assistance, cultural programs, and community resources.
But our story was never only about programs. It is about people. People finding answers when everything feels uncertain. People rebuilding confidence after leaving so much behind. People helping one another because they remember what it was like to need that same hand.
That is VIA.
An Evening for The Next Ten
On October 19, 2026, we gathered in Manhattan to celebrate ten years of VIA and to raise the funds that will carry us into the next ten. It was one night built entirely around our community: stories, art, music, food, and the people who made this decade possible.
01
Silent Auction
Twenty-four handmade tote bags, each one bid on live during the evening.
02
Food & Drinks
A shared table, with bites and drinks inspired by the cultures VIA serves every day.
03
Art & Entertainment
Music, stories, and live moments that brought ten years of community into one room.
04
Community
Longtime volunteers, program participants, partners, and neighbors came together in one place.
24 Bags. 24 Values. One Community.
Twenty-four tote bags were auctioned at The Next Ten, each one handmade and crocheted square by square in the same spirit VIA was built on: patience, care, and pieces coming together to make something whole.
Every bag carried one of the values that have guided VIA for the last ten years. All twenty-four have found new homes. Thank you to everyone who bid and helped build the next ten.
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Joy
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Gathering
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Solidarity
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Voice
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Courage
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Hope
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Path
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Evolution
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Legacy
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Brotherhood
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Reciprocity
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Activism
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Belonging
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Action
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Community
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Dignity
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Empathy
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Family
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Heart
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Humanity
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Pride
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Resilience
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Refuge
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Roots
Colors may vary slightly from the photos due to lighting conditions.
From Our Community, For Our Community.
VIA was founded by immigrants and continues to be powered overwhelmingly by volunteers, many of whom first came to VIA seeking support themselves.
Beneficiaries
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Volunteers
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Community Leaders
Over time, people who once needed a hand become the ones extending it to someone else.
We do not just respond to the challenges immigrants face. We walk alongside the people living through them.
Why The Next Ten Matters
The needs facing immigrant communities keep changing. VIA intends to keep changing with them, while protecting what has made this organization different from the beginning: proximity, trust, humanity, and community.
Your support helps VIA continue providing accessible programs, trusted information, humanitarian assistance, and spaces where immigrants can find connection as they rebuild their lives.
Every donation.
Every partnership.
You Are Part of the Story.
None of the last ten years belongs to VIA alone. It belongs to the volunteers who gave their time and talents. To the attorneys, psychologists, teachers, artists, community organizations, churches, businesses, institutions, and friends who shared their expertise and resources. To the people who trusted us during some of the most uncertain moments of their lives.
If you have ever volunteered, donated, attended an event, or shared a post, this decade is yours too. Thank you for helping us build the next ten.
