Our donors play a critical role in ensuring that every refugee and immigrant who comes to our doors finds the safety and support they need to rebuild their lives in our communities. In our Why They Give series, we talk with our donors to learn more about their connection to our mission.
For our latest installment, we spoke with Nancy and Kent Vant Zant, who have been generous supporters of IINE since 2021. The Van Zants share what inspires their philanthropy and commitment to supporting the immigrant community.
Can you share a bit about yourselves?
Nancy: I grew up in East Tennessee and attended college in Indiana, where I met my husband Kent. We spent a fair amount of time moving around the country for work, before happily ending up in Boston. I’ve had a long career in nonprofits and fundraising, so I know firsthand the value of the International Institute of New England’s service work.
Kent: I was raised in Nebraska. I received a PhD in geology and spent much of my career as a professor. I also spent time in the oil industry as a researcher.
ما أهمية العمل الخيري بالنسبة لك؟
Kent: We have seen firsthand how giving back can really change the course of someone’s life. Years ago, I had a friend who worked at Boston Latin Academy. He approached me about potentially sponsoring one of their students, who happened to be undocumented, so she could attend college. Nancy and I talked about it and decided this was something we wanted to do. We went on to sponsor another high-performing student as well.
Nancy: Kent and I had both been lucky to receive scholarships to attend college, so we were glad to be able to offer that support, and it was rewarding to see the students’ successes over the years. That experience led us to think about how we could have a bigger impact – which brought us to IINE.
Tell us more about this. What inspired you to support refugees and immigrants?
Nancy: I grew up in an era and in a part of a country where I had very little exposure to backgrounds different from my own. This changed as I grew and moved around the country, and I became fascinated by different cultures.
A friend of ours worked at IINE, and she spoke to us about how the organization was helping immigrants, who had endured so much struggle, to find a better life in our communities. We knew we wanted to help. We were especially interested in the focus on workforce development. This was during COVID times, when it was becoming increasingly clear how much we needed immigration to sustain the economy.
Kent: We saw how much value immigrants were bringing to our country. We also saw that these are good people, who come here for all kinds of difficult reasons, and we wanted to help them if we could.
Years later, what compels you to continue to support IINE?
Kent: A big part of it is how many people we’re able to help through IINE. When we sponsored the high school students, we did that fully on our own – we didn’t know there was an organization like IINE that provided such deep support and a range of services to thousands of immigrants every year. As far as I can see, it’s a perfect way to help people. By donating, we’re able to do so much more good than what we could achieve just the two of us.
Nancy: With the current political environment, it feels even more critical to support immigrants. We need immigrants, and they deserve our help. No matter what comes, we are committed to continuing our support.
لا يمكن للمعهد الدولي للهجرة تقديم الخدمات التي يحتاجها اللاجئون والمهاجرون إلا بفضل دعم المتبرعين الأسخياء. هناك العديد من الطرق المختلفة للتبرع. اعرف المزيد هنا: تبرع بالأموال
مقالات ذات صلة
IINE Statement on the Trump Administration’s Dismantling of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
Congolese Refugees Find Community and Wellness with Monthly Women’s Group
