Bienvenidos is a network of over 70  service-providing organizations that meets monthly to exchange information, discuss common problems and issues and work on appropriate solutions in order to better serve immigrants in this region. Through a needs assessment Bienvenidos established five priority areas--language, education, health, transportation and legal aid.

Bienvenidos' mission is to help facilitate service provision to and communication with the immigrant communities on the Delmarva Peninsula by:

• Enhancing the immigrant community’s quality of life
• Creating mutual appreciation and understanding of these immigrant communities
• Collaborating actively with agencies and organizations, to ensure that the various needs of the immigrant communities are met, including language, education, health, transportation and legal aid.

Migration is changing the demographics of the Delmarva Peninsula in a dramatic way. Over the last ten years this region has experienced unprecedented growth. For instance, the Hispanic population in our region has increased at astonishing rates, as high as 300% in parts of Lower Delaware and 200% in some jurisdictions on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Although many organizations in our region are already reaching out to the Hispanic and other immigrant communities, the needs of immigrants are often unmet due to barriers such as language, culture and transportation. In 2000, the Business, Economic, and Community Outreach Network, (BEACON) of the Franklin Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University responded by initiating Bienvenidos a Delmarva. (Welcome to Delmarva), to help area service providers prepare for the growing needs of our changing region.

• Facilitate monthly meetings of service providers.
• Coordinate and organize outreach initiatives to introduce providers to the immigrant communities.
• Link college students with organizations to help them better serve the immigrants.
• Make new contacts in our community everyday to generate greater community participation & more communication within our population.
• Offer on-going support and training.