Welcoming KC

07/21/2026

Welcoming means......putting a gold medal around your mother's neck in front of the entire world.

That's what Nico Williams did after Spain beat Argentina in extra time to win the 2026 World Cup. In the middle of the biggest moment of his career, he found his mom, María, and gave her his medal. Decades earlier, María and her husband Félix had fled Ghana with almost nothing, crossing the Sahara Desert on foot while she was seven months pregnant. They walked for days. People didn't make it. When they finally reached Spain, they rebuilt their entire lives from scratch so their sons could have a shot at something better. Nico put it simply: "I run very fast, but I can't run as fast as my mother. I am who I am today because of her."

That's welcoming. Not a policy or a slogan but a family finding a place to land, and a community that let them stay long enough to become part of it.

And it turns out Nico's story isn't the exception at this World Cup. It's closer to the rule. Nearly 1 in 4 players in the tournament, 289 out of 1,248, were born in a country different from the one they represented on the field. Curaçao's squad was 96% foreign-born. Morocco's was 73%. Even the U.S. men's team had six players born outside the country, with about a third of the roster being children of immigrants. Only 8 of the 48 teams could say every single player was born in the country they played for.

So here's the question worth sitting with: if none of these families had migrated, would Spain still have won the Cup? Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never really know.

But we do know this, the players who ran the fastest, scored the biggest goals, and lifted the trophy came from families who crossed deserts, borders, and oceans looking for a better life. Immigrants didn't just show up to this World Cup. They shaped it.

That's the story worth telling in our own community, too.

06/16/2026

Welcoming means every open door is an opportunity. Tonight, Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions play at Kansas City Stadium. With them come tens of thousands of fans. VisitKC estimates 650,000+ visitors will travel to Kansas City during the tournament. That's hotels, restaurants, shops, rideshares, and memories made righ here. When you smile at a visitor, recommend your favorite BBQ spot, or help someone find their way. You're not just being kind, you're building the economy of Kansas City. Welcome well my friends. Did you know: 250,000 Argentine-Americans call the US home. KC is home to , Piropos Restaurant and a growing expat community. Algerian-Americans total 70,500 nationally and KC's Muslim Community will feel a special connection to Algeria's vist.

06/11/2026

Welcoming means ensuring every newcomer and immigrant family in Kansas City has equal access to city services and a real voice in our community.

KANSAS CITY, WE DID IT!

Thank you to City Councilmember Wes Rogers for his support of this work and for sponsoring Ordinance No. 260506, the Welcoming KC Commission is now official!

We have established this new 12-member advisory body as our vehicle for long-term inclusion. Here is what it will do:
- Strengthen civic engagement and establish a framework for resident-led oversight of inclusive service delivery.
- Bring together district residents and community-based organizations to actively inform city policy.
- Be the primary resident-led body supporting our city’s continued work of Certified Welcoming Status.

Thank you to every advocate, partner and resident who spoke up and shared their story. We are building systems that last and a city where everyone belongs! Together!

Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), Kansas City Della Lamb Community Services Latinx Education Collaborative Revolucion Educativa - RevEd Global Ties KC Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) Literacy KC REACH Healthcare Foundation Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce The Museum of Kansas City KCPS Language Services Welcoming America

06/11/2026

Welcoming means opening your door before someone knocks. Today, the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins and Kansas CIty is ready. Over the next month, our city becomes a stage for the world. Six matches at Kansas City Stadium. Hundreds of thousands of visitors. Dozens of nations. One community We're not just hosting a soccer tournament. We're telling the world who we are. And who we are is: WELCOMING. Stay with us all month as we share why welcoming is the greatest thing a city can do.

06/10/2026

Welcoming means more than a smile at the door, it means every visitor who walks into a Kansas City business feels seen, respected, and genuinely at home.

With the World Cup bringing fans from every corner of the world, to our city, including up to 100,000 Argentine fans alone, the economic opportunity is real. But so is something bigger, the chance to create an experience so warm, so authentic, so undeniably Kansas City that visitors carry it home with them long after the final whistle blows.

That's why the KC Chamber and our partners at Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), Kansas City are proud to share the free, on-demand Welcoming the World Training, designed to help businesses, frontline staff, volunteers, and community members feel confident and prepared to serve international guests with cultural awareness, clear communications, and genuine hospitality.

Whether you work in retail, hospitality, transportation, or customer service, this training is for you. A welcoming Kansas City isn't built in one place, It's built in every interaction, every storefront, every "hello."

Watch the free training today and help us show the world what Kansas CIty hospitality looks like.

As thousands of international visitors prepare to arrive in Kansas ...

06/09/2026

Welcoming means seeing your flag in a storefront window. Welcoming means a menu you can read. Welcoming means someone takes the time to say hello - in your language.

That's Kansas City. And we want to celebrate it.

We're launching , a community challenge to find and shine a light on the KC businesses making every visitor, from every corner of the world, feel like they belong here.

Kansas City earned its Certified Welcoming status. Now let's show the world what that means. One business, one photo, one story, one moment at a time.

See a welcoming moment in Kansas City? Snap a photo or vidoe, posit it using , and tag the Welcoming KC and KC Chamber so we can share your stories and spotlight the businesses helping Kansas CIty welcoming to the world. Here's an example: Martin City Tavern on Main is being welcoming.

06/04/2026

Welcoming means.....knowing your own story.

Before Arrowhead. Before Sporting KC. Before the World Cup came to Kansas City, there were immigrants. They brought soccer here in their hearts, played in church yards and on makeshift fields, and spent decades fighting for the space and resources to share the beautiful game with our city.

This Thursday, June 4th, the Kansas City Public Library opens Soccer City: How Kansas City Became a Soccer Town, a free exhibition celebrating the immigrant pioneers who made this World Cup moment possible.

https://kclibrary.org/events/people%E2%80%99s-history-kansas-city-soccer-live
Kansas City Public Library, Central Branch - 14 W. 10th St.
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 4, 6 -7 PM

On view through October 4. Free to all. The world is arriving in Kansas City because of people who brought their cultural, including their love for the game. Go see their story. Bring someone who needs to hear it.

06/03/2026

Kansas City’s immigrant and refugee communities have shaped our city’s culture, economy, and future. After years of collaboration with residents, partners, and organizations across the metro, we’re taking the next step.

We are deeply grateful for the work of the Mayor’s Commission on New Americans, whose leadership laid the foundation for today’s community engagement and inclusion strategies. Their efforts created the momentum and shared vision that made this next phase possible.

Ordinance No. 260506, sponsored by City Councilmember Wes Rogers, has been introduced and is being heard in the Finance Committee on Tuesday, June 9 at 10:30am. This ordinance formalizes a community‑led advisory body that strengthens transparency, improves coordination across City departments, and ensures immigrant and refugee voices remain centered in policy decisions.

This ordinance builds systems that last — beyond administrations, beyond transitions — and ensures Kansas City continues moving toward a more welcoming, equitable future.

06/02/2026

Welcoming means...when we welcome immigrants, we welcome builders. The Castagna-Herrera family drawing on their American, Mexican, Argentinian, and Mescalero Apache roots, didn't just open a coffee shop. they created Kansas City's first Latin and Indigenous coffee house, and built the furniture, painted the walls, hired a multilingual team, and grew into a three-location institution in just seven years. That's what welcoming looks like. That's what it produces. As co-owner, Dulcinea Herrera said when accepting the Mr. K Award: "Cafe Corazon was built by immigrants, by artists, by dreamers, by workers."

Immigrant's don't just contribute to our economy, they are our economy. Kansas CIty is stronger, richer, and more vibrant because of families like the Herreras chose to plant their roots here. And Kansas City is stronger for welcoming them and all immigrant entreprenuers.

05/04/2026

Welcoming means....recognizing that the strength of our community is built by those who arrive with vision, grit, and a willingness to work for something bigger than themselves.

Mark Lanuniu, Vu Nguyen and Jesse Phouangphet, founders of MADE MOBB, one of Kansas City's most recognized independent fashion brands. What started in 2013 as conversations and pop-up sales out of a truck has grown into a Crossroads Art District storefront and a creative hub where artists, musicians, and emerging entreprenuers come together. These three young men, each shaped by immigrant family backgrounds, didn't wait for a blueprint, they build one, and in doing so, built somehting for all of us. Read their full story in the Kansas City Star and then stop by and show them some love.

Three men from immigrant families built the now-popular streetwear company from the ground up. Here’s how.