Project FINE March 19 2014

Fatima Said, Executive Director of Project FINE (Focus on Integrating Newcomers through Education), gave a summary of the activities of FINE that started 34 years ago in Winona.  She began by describing her own story as an immigrant from Bosnia where she was a teacher and her husband was a surgeon.  After surviving in a refugee camp, they were able to immigrate to Rochester Minnesota.  She was able to find work and after 10 years of additional training her husband was able to return to surgery.

She described the three stages of the immigrant experience.  First is survival: finding food and shelter.  Second, is education: finding work through additional training and personal skills. Third is supporting stability: buying cars, buying homes, starting new businesses.

The Mission of Project FINE is “to strengthen and enrich our community by facilitating the integration of people who are ethnically diverse.”  They serve 8 counties surrounding Winona County.  They are a non-profit organization based in Winona.  In 2013 they served over 2,500 newcomers, started 5 new programs, provided 7,000 hours of advocacy and information referrals (including over 3,000 hours of translation and interpretation services) and over 500 persons received Diversity Education.  They also gave 200 books to young children through the Learning Together program.  FINE has over 16 different programs.  Their total revenues in 2013 were $376,657.  Sources included: 49% private grants and contracts, 44% fees for services and 6% fundraising and corporate contributions.