Welcoming Week 2026
The YMCA at Virginia Tech is proud to host the 5th Annual Welcoming Week, taking place September 10–19, 2026, as part of a nationwide initiative that brings neighbors of all backgrounds together to strengthen connections and build more welcoming communities.
Welcoming Week is an annual campaign led by Welcoming America that celebrates the efforts of communities across the country to become places where everyone feels they belong, including immigrants, refugees, and newcomers.
The YMCA at Virginia Tech launched its Welcoming Initiative in 2021 through Welcoming America’s Rural Welcoming Initiative. Since then, the organization has worked to strengthen belonging, support newcomers, and create opportunities for meaningful connection throughout the New River Valley.
This year’s Welcoming Week theme, “The Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect,” invites community members to engage through art, storytelling, music, food, learning, and fellowship.
“We believe that communities grow stronger when everyone feels welcomed, valued, and connected,” said Dina Ali, Director of International Programs at the YMCA at Virginia Tech. “Welcoming Week provides an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, learn from one another, and create the relationships that make the New River Valley an even more vibrant place to live.”
Featured Welcoming Week Events
Welcoming Week 2026 features a diverse lineup of free events designed to foster connection, cultural exchange, and belonging. Highlights include a bilingual Book Walk, an artist talk and outdoor concert at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, community art and LEGO building projects, a Newcomers Orientation, Breakfast Around the World, youth robotics workshops, International Café Hour, a Public Living Room gathering space, an art gallery reception, family storytime, and a community Contra Dance.
A special highlight of the week will be Blacksburg Mayor Michael Sutphin’s Welcoming Week Proclamation, presented during Breakfast Around the World on September 15.
Welcoming Week is made possible through the collaboration of numerous community partners, including the Town of Blacksburg, Literacy NRV, the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech, First Steps, Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, and the Cranwell International Center, all working together to create a welcoming and inclusive New River Valley for people of all backgrounds.
Join the Celebration
All community members are invited to participate in Welcoming Week activities and help create a more connected, inclusive, and welcoming New River Valley.
For a complete schedule of events and additional information, visit the YMCA at Virginia Tech or contact the YMCA Center at 1000 North Main Street, Blacksburg.
About the YMCA at Virginia Tech
The YMCA at Virginia Tech is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Through programs that foster belonging, civic engagement, leadership, and cultural understanding, the YMCA works to ensure that all people have the opportunity to thrive and contribute to the New River Valley community.
