Embracing the Melting Pot
by Steve Heriot, photo by Julie Sachs
Pelican Rapids is a small town of 2,500 people who embrace a melting pot of cultures. Over the years, the town has created many services to help immigrants assimilate into the community. Pelican Rapids’ long history of welcoming diversity started with the arrival of German and Scandinavian settlers in the 19th Century. The first Hispanic residents arrived in the 1970s, followed by refugees from Laos, Vietnam, Somalia, and Bosnia.
In 1997, Otter Tail County funded the Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee to help with immigrants’ transition to American life. The committee worked
with community service groups, sponsored international dinners, hosted a series of talks by immigrants about their experiences. The group also sponsors the Pelican Rapids Friendship Festival, held every July. The celebration includes music, ethnic arts and crafts, speakers, and samplings of food from around the world. The festival is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, make new friends and enjoy a day of world music, ethnic foods, colorful garments, and lively dance.
The Pelican Rapids Multicultural Committee also sponsors a Diversity Dinner, which is held on the last Sunday of each month during the school year, from 5:00 to 7 :00 p.m. The committee suggests that all are welcome and that attendees should bring their friends, family and a dish to share.
Another organization that reflects the welcoming appeal of Pelican Rapids is The Welcome Place, a non-profit ministry and healing center, which began when concerned people from area churches and organizations formed a board to develop a response to some of the individual and community needs in Pelican Rapids. Enough money was raised to purchase a building for the Welcome Place ministry at 26 West Mill Avenue, Pelican Rapids, MN.
Welcome Place is a body, mind and spirit ministry helping people with challenges in their lives. Services include needs assessments, blood pressure checks, health counseling, spiritual support, referrals to helpful services, health and wellness classes and support groups. A free fellowship luncheon, sponsored by area churches, individuals and businesses, is served each Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The organization’s vision is to create a healthy and harmonious community where all are valued and basic needs are met.
Multiculturalism offers us a chance to explore and under-stand other people’s views and to put away suspicion and misunderstanding. It encourages dialogue and can be an antidote for ignorance. We can aspire to not just tolerate but to accept others for who they are, and we can hope to have them accept us as well.
