PARTNERS | Mvicdayton

Partners & Their Projects

Many partner organizations in the Greater Dayton area collaborate through MVIC including those listed on this page.

Cross Over Community Development (COCD) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that was created to support immigrants and refugees in re-establishing high-quality lives by providing hands-on support, facilitating connections, developing resources, and promoting full participation in their new communities. Initiatives like their ESL classes, a newly forming worker cooperative and the Family Navigation Program, which provides referrals to education, healthcare, legal services, advocacy, and assistance resources in the Miami Valley, are evidence that they believe “in the power of community and networking to strengthen the dignity and self-sufficiency of immigrants and refugees living in the Dayton area.”

For more information, contact:

Catherine Bitwayiki at and (937-559-7195)

El Puente

Visit their website or follow them on Facebook

El Puente currently provides support to Hispanic families with the common challenges they face as they integrate into our community. First, strengthening the academic achievement of students in Kindergarten through 6th grade with an after school program; Second, providing tools to the family to support the learning process of their kids, with parent involvement and educational training in several areas like technology, nutrition, women issues, English classes, etc. During the Pandemic we were able to assist our community with gift cards to Kroger for groceries, food boxes from the Dayton Food Bank, and organizing and providing vaccination opportunities for Covid-19

For more information, contact:

Gabriela Mosier -

Martha Jeanette Rodriguez -

Be Hope Immigration Center

Be Hope Immigration Center exists to provide hope to our immigrant neighbors. [They] seek to empower the immigrant community in Dayton and partner with existing agencies to strengthen the immigrant service network.

Currently, partially accredited representatives offer a Refugee Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program which brings together curriculum, programming, and expertise from community partners to address refugee professional development needs.

For more information, contact:

Molly Brunk - mollybrunk@behope.church

Brunner Literacy Center

Brunner Literacy Center offers free English language tutoring to adults.

Call or email for more information ctruax@brunnerliteracy.org or (937) 567-9600.

Dayton Immigrant Transit Assistance (DITA)

DITA is a project begun by the Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship’s Immigration and Refugee Justice Action Group. It has provided support to immigrants as they travel through the Dayton (mostly at Greyhound bus station with some exceptions) area. We offer items that may be useful on long journeys such as food and beverages, hygiene products, over-the-counter medication, clothing, diapers and wipes, and toys. DITA also provided some information to assist travelers with ticketing and bus transfers and communicated with other groups in the Facebook bus assist network. Early in the pandemic DITA shifted its efforts completely away from transit assistance toward the MVIC emergency food and supply efforts. In March 2021 DITA has begun greeting buses again with food, toiletries, and other supplies.

Dayton Rapid Response

The Dayton Rapid Response is a community group that aims at supporting our immigrant community. The group was formed in response to ICE raids in northern and eastern Ohio. Their purpose is to provide support by:

informing the immigrant community of their rights
organizing preparedness sessions
creating a web of communication to spread information quickly in the event of a raid or if someone is in distress

organizing a pool of volunteers willing to provide monetary support, time (transporting people to immigration courts, ICE reporting, or medical appointments), emergency housing, and supplies in the event a raid occurs in our community.