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November 25, 2022PHOENIX, AZ – The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (Florence Project) is proud to announce a generous gift from the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, commonly known as the Victory Noll Sisters, to strengthen the Florence Project’s Integrated Social Services Program and Border Action Team.
Established in 1922, the Victory Noll Sisters have been dedicated to fostering justice, standing in solidarity with marginalized people living in poverty and oppression, and promoting the development of leaders. The Sisters have made this legacy donation to the Florence Project as an organization that has similar values that resonate with the Victory Noll Sisters’ mission and that also serves in Arizona, one of the states where the Sisters have served.
“Both organizations are totally dedicated to working with and for people on the margins, the poor, the voiceless. Both are dedicated to working with people with a compassionate heart and with the focus toward the humanization of the poor and powerless and share the common goal of a just, humane immigration system,” said Sr. Mary Jo Nelson, OLVM, Past President of the Victory Noll Sisters.
“It is truly a privilege to be in partnership with the Victory Noll Sisters,” said Lillian Aponte Miranda, Esq., Co-Executive Director of the Florence Project. “Their generosity will have a profound impact on the Florence Project’s ability to serve the migrant community for years to come. We are inspired by all that they have done for the community and to improve the lives of others.
“The Victory Noll Sisters have been engaged in a broad range of social services and ministries both in Arizona and across the U.S. over the past century. The Florence Project congratulates the Victory Noll Sisters on their 100 years of service and thanks them for their generous partnership.”
Over the past 100 years the sisters have had a significant presence and profound impact in communities across Arizona, including Florence, Nogales, Phoenix, and Tucson, all areas where the Florence Project provides services. The Victory Noll Sisters founded St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic, now St. Elizabeth’s Health Center, in Tucson, a community health clinic serving uninsured and underserved persons in Southern Arizona. The Sisters have also served in Apache Junction, Clifton, Coolidge, Cortaro, Flagstaff, Glendale, Holbrook, Littletown, Morenci, Safford, Solomon, Springerville, Superior, Wickenburg, Winslow, and Yuma. They have served in various capacities including in social services, prison ministry, and parish ministry.
The Florence Project’s growing Integrated Social Services Program addresses the holistic needs of clients by providing support to detained clients and by connecting them upon release to housing, education, employment, medical care, and other crucial resources. The Border Action Team provides legal orientations, application assistance, and accompaniment to migrants, including many asylum seekers, in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Through extensive advocacy the Border Action Team works to ensure that migrants are empowered with the information they need to make informed decisions about their immigration cases.
About the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
Established in 1989, the Florence Project provides free legal and social services to adults and children in immigration detention in Arizona and displaced at the U.S.-Mexico border.
About Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters
Established in 1922, the Victory Noll Sisters are based in Huntington, IN, and have a rich history of promoting human rights and working with immigrant communities and the oppressed in 36 states and in Bolivia.