A statement from Dr. David A. Jordan, President/CEO of Seven Hills Foundation & Affiliates:

There is much in the news these days concerning both national (US) and global immigration issues.  Internationally, we are witness to one of the largest mass migrations of individuals from countries in the Middle East (e.g. Syria, Iran, etc.) to welcoming nations in Europe. Here in America, there is not a day that goes by that one presidential candidate or another doesn't speak about the dilemma of immigrants entering the US - legally or otherwise.

Politics aside - and knowing that over 50% of our Seven Hills direct support professional staff have immigrated to the United States from countries throughout the globe - I was determined to gain a more balanced and accurate assessment as to the economic and social contributions made by those immigrating to Massachusetts, and more specifically, the Worcester/Central MA area.

The results of this analysis - conducted independently by the Public Policy Center at UMass Dartmouth and the Donahue Institute at UMass Worcester have confirmed what I have always believed, and that is, the foreign-born community is not only enriching Worcester's social and cultural landscape but also making significant contributions to the city's economy and labor market (p. 58).

If these clearly measured results are true for Worcester, then one could reasonably project similar results in Lowell, New Bedford, the Cape and elsewhere throughout Massachusetts where Seven Hills operates.  The evidence is clear - immigrants, in general, benefit our Massachusetts economy and bring specific benefit to Seven Hills Foundation.  Seven Hills proudly employs 1st generation immigrants from 43 different countries.  They are valued members of our Seven Hills family and deserving of our collective respect and appreciation for all contributions they make to those clients and patients we serve.

For a full version of our important research on immigrants, click here to download the PDF of the report entitled "The Foreign-Born Population of Worcester, Massachusetts:  Assessing the Challenges and Contributions of a Diverse Community."

The report was made possible by the generous financial support of the Trustees of the George F. & Sybil H. Fuller Foundation; the Stoddard Charitable Trust; and the Fletcher Foundation.
 

• Download the full report
• Download Seven Hills press release
• Telegram & Gazette Article: Study finds Worcester's foreign-born residents are “major economic contributors”