MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center

08/28/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 💙

For a child entering an unfamiliar classroom, a parent navigating a new school system, or a family rebuilding their lives in Erie, being met with understanding can make all the difference.

That is why MCRC’s commitment to our refugee, immigrant, Latino and New American neighbors extends beyond the services we provide within our walls. Through Cultural Competency training for local schools, businesses, and community partners, we help build a community better prepared to welcome, understand, and support one another.

On August 20, MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center's Imad Diab provided training to staff at the Charter School of Excellence, sharing insight into the communities we serve and the resources available through MCRC. These opportunities strengthen the partnerships that help individuals and families feel seen, respected, and connected.

Christopher Fortin, Director of Pupil Services at the Charter School of Excellence, shared:

“MCRC is a strong community support and services provider in our Erie community. They support all walks of life in our community and do it in a manner that is dignified and tolerant to all.”

We are grateful for these words and for a partnership rooted in caring for our community. Thank you to Imad and the Charter School of Excellence staff for making time for this meaningful work.

When we deepen our understanding of one another, we help create an Erie where every person has a place to belong—and an opportunity to thrive.

Interested in Cultural Competency training or learning how MCRC can support your school, workplace, or organization? Let us know in the comments below or message us here! We would welcome the opportunity to connect.

08/25/2026

𝑨 𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝑨 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚.

For 27 years, MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center's Refugee Social Services Program has helped refugees and other eligible populations build stable, successful lives in the Erie community.

RSS supports employability while addressing the many barriers families can face when beginning again in a new country. Our wraparound services include employment assistance, housing support, English language instruction, interpretation and translation, school engagement, social adjustment services, and citizenship and naturalization assistance.

Clients work with an ethnic case manager who speaks their language, understands their culture, and helps the entire family navigate unfamiliar systems. This trusted, culturally responsive support helps families feel understood, connected, and confident as they establish their new lives.

The happiness and success of our clients demonstrate why RSS is so critical. This program does more than help someone find a job. It helps families secure housing, connect their children with school, regain independence, and build futures filled with stability, opportunity, and belonging.

As R. Ngarukiye shared:

“𝘔𝘊𝘙𝘊 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

Every happy client and successful family reminds us what is possible when people are welcomed, understood, and given the support they need to thrive.

08/21/2026

🌟 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞! 🌟

At MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center, our Pre-K Counts Program is helping children build the skills, confidence, and friendships they need to be ready for kindergarten and beyond. 💛

Through a safe, caring, and engaging learning environment, children have opportunities to:

📚 Build early learning and school-readiness skills
🗣️ Develop language and communication skills
🤝 Make friends and learn to work together
🎨 Explore, create, and learn through play
💪 Build confidence and independence
🌱 Grow socially and emotionally

But Pre-K Counts is about more than preparing children for school. It’s about helping every child discover that they can learn, grow, and succeed.

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙:

“𝑴𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉, 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚.”

We are proud to provide children and families with a strong start and a place where every child can feel welcomed, supported, and ready to learn. ❤️

08/12/2026

💜 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄! 💛

Once again, our Erie community showed just how powerful we are when we come together.

Thanks to 93 incredible donors, MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center preliminarily raised $24,420 during Erie Gives Day 2026! Every gift, every share, and every word of encouragement helps us continue creating opportunities, strengthening families, and empowering New Americans throughout our community.

To our donors, friends, partners, and MCRC supporters: thank you for believing in our mission and the people we serve.

We are grateful. We are inspired. And we are proud to be part of a community that continues to show up for one another.

Together, we build a stronger Erie. 💚

08/11/2026

💙 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐌𝐂𝐑𝐂 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 💙

To everyone who has already donated to MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center during Erie Gives, thank you. Your generosity is helping us continue providing education, opportunity, support, and belonging to refugee, immigrant, and New American families throughout our community.

If you have already given, we are asking you to help us one more time by sharing our Erie Gives campaign with your friends, family, coworkers, and community.

Your support is especially important today.

Just today, we received confirmation of additional reductions in both state and federal funding. These reductions will have a very real impact on the programs and services organizations like MCRC work so hard to provide.

That makes community support more important than ever.

We have raised $21,755 so far and are working toward a goal of $30,000 by midnight. With a minimum donation of $25, every gift helps us close that gap and protect the services our community depends on.

📱 Text MCRC to 844 844 6844 to receive a direct link to give.

💻 Donate here:
https://www.eriegives.org/organization/mcrc-multicultural-community-resource-center

If you have already donated, please share this post and invite someone else to join you. Your voice can help us reach someone we may never reach on our own.

Now more than ever, every gift and every share matters. Let’s finish Erie Gives strong for MCRC.

08/11/2026

💙 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬! 💙

Today, our community comes together to support the nonprofits that make Erie stronger. We hope you’ll choose to support MCRC and the refugee, immigrant, and New American families we serve every day.

Your gift helps provide education, employment support, childcare, legal services, language access, youth programming, and more.

Donate until midnight tonight!

📱 Text MCRC to 844-844-6844 for a direct link to give.

Or donate online:
https://www.eriegives.org/organization/mcrc-multicultural-community-resource-center

Every gift and every share makes a difference. Let’s make Erie Gives 2026 an incredible day for MCRC!

08/10/2026

💙 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖! 💙

On August 11, our community will come together for Erie Gives, a powerful day of generosity that supports the nonprofit organizations working every day to make Erie stronger.

We hope you’ll choose to support the Multicultural Community Resource Center (MCRC) and help us continue providing education, opportunity, support, and belonging to refugee, immigrant, and New American individuals and families throughout our community.

Every gift matters. Every share matters. And every person who helps spread the word brings us one step closer to protecting critical programs and expanding opportunities for the people we serve.

📱 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞!

On August 11, donating to MCRC can be as simple as sending a text:

Text MCRC to 844-844-6844

You’ll receive a direct link to MCRC’s Erie Gives page right on your phone, making it quick and easy to give.

You can also support MCRC by sharing our campaign with friends, family members, and your social media networks. Invite someone personally to give, share our Erie Gives page, and help us spread the Text to Give option throughout the day.

MCRC Erie Gives Donation Page:
https://www.eriegives.org/organization/mcrc-multicultural-community-resource-center

Whether you give, share, text, or encourage someone else to participate, you are helping MCRC continue creating pathways to education, employment, stability, self-sufficiency, and belonging.

Let’s make Erie Gives 2026 an incredible day for MCRC! 💙

08/06/2026

🎥 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐭 4?

Our Executive Director, Katie Kretz, joined Amanda Post on the Blue Couches to talk about MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center’s 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅, 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒅𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 campaign and why this effort is so important for local students.

As the new school year approaches, too many children are facing the first day of school without the clothing they need to meet their school’s dress code. Together, we can help change that.

🎬 Watch the interview:
https://www.erienewsnow.com/featured/first-at-4/first-at-4-every-child-dress-code-ready/video_637bd107-bd5d-59cc-9996-00c332ada0f4.html

❤️ Every donation (big or small) helps provide students with the clothing they need to walk into school with confidence, ready to learn from day one and throughout the school year.

Donate today:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/every-child-dress-code-ready

Together, we can make sure every child is Dress Code Ready. 👕📚🍎

Every Child, Dress Code Ready! Every child deserves to walk into school feeling confident, included, and ready to learn.As students prepare to return to…

08/06/2026

👶💜 𝑵𝑶𝑾 𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮: 𝑬𝑿𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑫 𝑰𝑵𝑭𝑨𝑵𝑻 𝑻𝑬𝑨𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑺 💜👶

Infant care is disappearing across Erie County… but MCRC is bringing it back.

As many childcare centers have closed their infant classrooms due to staffing shortages, families are finding it harder than ever to find safe, nurturing care for their youngest children.

At MCRC Bright World Early Learning Center, we’re changing that.

Our newly renovated Infant Room is reopening, and we’re looking for compassionate, experienced teachers who are ready to make a difference from a child’s very first days.

Every smile, every first word, every milestone begins with someone who cares.

Do you have what it takes?

We’re looking for professionals who:
💜 Have experience caring for infants (0–24 months)
💜 Create safe, loving, and engaging learning environments
💜 Understand the importance of early childhood development
💜 Believe every child deserves the very best start in life

Preferred Qualifications:
✔ Associate’s Degree or higher in Early Childhood Education or a related field
✔ Infant classroom experience (Lead Teacher experience preferred)
✔ Strong communication and observation skills
✔ Ability to plan age-appropriate activities
✔ Positive attitude and a genuine love for children
✔ Ability to pass a physical examination

Required Clearances:
• PA Child Abuse History Clearance
• PA State Police Criminal Record Check
• Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI)
• National S*x Offender Registry (NSOR) Clearance

This isn’t just another teaching position - it’s an opportunity to help restore a vital service to our community while giving our youngest learners the strong, loving foundation they deserve.

📧 Ready to make a difference?

𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞@𝐦𝐜𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞.𝐨𝐫𝐠.

Together, let’s give Erie County families the infant care they’ve been searching for.

08/04/2026

💙 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭. 💜

Erie Gives Day is Tuesday, August 11, and this year your generosity may go even further.

When you support MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center, you help children enter school ready to learn, adults build new skills and pursue employment, older refugees remain connected, and newly arrived families find safety, stability, opportunity, and belonging.

💡 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘?

New IRS tax guidelines for 2026 may provide additional benefits for charitable giving:

📋 If you do not itemize, you may be eligible to deduct up to $1,000 in qualifying cash donations or $2,000 if married and filing jointly.

⚖️ If you itemize, charitable deductions are now generally limited to contributions exceeding 0.5% of your adjusted gross income. Your tax advisor can help determine whether concentrating more of your annual giving on Erie Gives Day makes sense for you.

📈 If you are age 70½ or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA may count toward your required minimum distribution while remaining excluded from taxable income. The 2026 QCD limit is $111,000.

Online donations can be made from midnight to midnight on Tuesday, August 11. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙨, and 100% of your contribution will be granted to the nonprofit you select.

Please choose the Multicultural Community Resource Center and help us continue welcoming and promoting opportunity for Erie’s multicultural communities.

Donate on August 11:
https://www.eriegives.org/organization/mcrc-multicultural-community-resource-center

Every gift matters. Every person matters. Together, we can continue building a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙭 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.