03/23/2010 - A Reception will be held March 25, 2010 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Fremont Area Art Association (92 W. 6th Street) in Fremont, Nebraska to honor 21 people, immigrants or descendants of immigrants to the Fremont area, who tell their stories in the special project, "Building Fremont: Immigrants 1856-Present."
PURPOSE: “Neighbor to Neighbor, We Will Work Together Toward a Strong and United Fremont Community, Welcoming and Respecting All People.”
EVERYONE IS WELCOME to be a part of “Nebraska Is Home Fremont!”
“Nebraska Is Home Fremont” celebrated its official launch on June 6, 2009
Kristin Ostrom
third-generation from Sweden
402-317-7823, kaostrom@hotmail.com
Gabby Ayala
first-generation from Mexico
402-719-6854, gayala21@aol.com
*se habla español / Spanish speaker
• Positive Images and Messages: billboard, posters, flyers, photo display. Help us create a positive space for community conversations!
• Community Activities: Fremont Unity Picnic and other opportunities for Fremont community members to meet new neighbors and get to know one another
• Education and Conversations: Speakers, games, movie screenings, and educational forums provide a format for education and safe discussions about our immigrant histories and stories
Shared Values: • Love of family, home, and Fremont • Hard work, education, and responsibility • Strong community and economy • Care for one another • Safe and stable neighborhoods • Honor our heritage and new traditions • Respect for all languages and the importance of English that helps us unite • Welcoming new neighbors |
Fremont Neighbors (US Census Bureau): 2007 (ACS): • Foreign Born: 1,035 (4%) • Hispanic: 1,842 (7%) • African American: 27 (0.1%) • American Indian: 256 (1%) • Asian: 207 (0.8%) • Other: 1,077 (4.2%) • Caucasian: 23,983 (93%) Change from 2000: • Foreign Born: up from 3% to 4% of population • Hispanic: up from 4% to 7% of population • Other: up from 2% to 4.2% of population • White: down from 95% to 93% of population |
Check out the current “Calendar of Events”
Host a conversation with family, friends, co-workers, or others:
Community Conversation Guide and Conversation Starters coming soon!
More resources and conversation starters available at the Keene Memorial Library
Fill out a story card and help us celebrate what makes Fremont such a great place to call home!
Donate Dollars: Help support this fun, community effort! Your donation will be put towards community billboards and posters, community building-activities, and other opportunities to promote Fremont’s unity and strength!
We thank the Fremont Tribune, KHUB 1340 AM/ 105.5 FM, KMTV Action 3 News Omaha, Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World Herald, KEPADRE 1020 AM Omaha, Nebraska TV, KTIC 840 Rural Radio, and others for covering “Nebraska Is Home Fremont” events and activities.
03/23/2010 - Read the stories of 22 immigrants, past and present, that were printed in the Fremont Tribune from Februry 17, 2010 - March 12, 2010 for the series, "Building Fremont: Immigrants 1856-Present."
The 8 editions pair the stories of recent immigrants to Fremont, Nebraska with the stories of descendants of immigrants arriving near the turn of the century.
Making Their Home in Fremont - Professional Women
From Immigrants to Businessmen
Children from Around the World
Labor Strikes Lead to New Homes
06/29/2009 - Sunday afternoon turned out to be nearly perfect for a picnic designed to help get people in the Fremont community together.
More than 125 people attended the picnic organized by Home Is Nebraska Fremont.
Kristin Ostrom, one of the picnic organizers, said events like this are needed to help people understand that regardless of background and culture, people are basically the same.
06/29/2009 - Gabby Ayala is a U.S. citizen.
But, she said, you would never know it from the way some of her fellow Fremont, Neb., residents behave toward her and other Mexican-Americans.
“We all come from somewhere else,” Ostrom said Sunday at a picnic that Nebraska Is Home Fremont sponsored. Ostrom noted that her great-grandparents emigrated from Sweden.
06/26/2009 - In Fremont, people are asked to take a tradition dish to share, plus silverware and a blanket or lawn chair to a Sunday picnic, 3-6 p.m., on the Campus Green at Midland Lutheran College.
06/22/2009 - Nebraska is Home Fremont’s first big public event is just around the corner.
A community picnic is planned for 3-6 p.m. Sunday at Midland Lutheran College. The event will be held on the campus green near the Cross at the Center fountain.
Debate over an anti-immigration proposal in Fremont is moving forward. In the past year, an effort to ban employers from hiring illegal immigrants and ban landlords from renting to illegal immigrants has caused some controversy between residents.
The proposal is currently tied up in Appeals court. A new community group called "Nebraska is Home-Fremont" is urging Fremont neighbors to put their beliefs aside and focus on being friendly.
Lined up, side by side, Fremont residents stand together. "I believe there's a lot more to people than just where they come from," said "Nebraska is Home-Fremont" group leader, Gabby Ayala.
06/13/2009 - Courtesy and respect.
They are words we say often. But in today’s world, we see less and less of these qualities being exhibited.
One only has to read letters in this newspaper or comments on our Web site to see prime examples. Watching any of the 24-hour news channels or listening to almost any talk radio program will provide examples, too.
We as a society are too quick to comment, too quick to judge and too quick to be offended when someone disagrees with our point of view. Too often today the aim appears to divide, to create an us vs. them mentality.
It seems we’ve lost the ability to be civil; the ability to be neighborly.
We as a community have a chance to show we still can be courteous and respectful. That chance is by supporting the Nebraska Is Home Fremont campaign. Read the Full Op/Ed from the Fremont Tribune...
06/08/2009 - Gabby Ayala sometimes watches in amazement as her 3-year-old daughter plays with her best friend.
Ayala’s daughter’s first language is Spanish, although she is now learning English. Her friend only speaks English.
“It’s just fun to see them playing and getting involved in different stuff,” Ayala said Saturday during the launch of the Nebraska is Home Fremont campaign. “We can see they’re not that different. They communicate somehow. It’s amazing and funny to see that.”
Help us celebrate what makes Fremont such a great place to call home!
"Nebraska Is Home Fremont" invites ALL Fremont community members to participate in this fun community project to celebrate our hometown. Just print out a story card, fill it out telling why you and/or your ancestors came to Fremont, Nebraska.
Compartiendo historias comunitarias: "¿Por qué vino mi familia a Fremont, Nebraska?"
¡Ayúdenos a celebrar lo qué hace a Fremont un hogar tan agradable!
El grupo comunitario “Nebraska Is Home Fremont [Nebraska Es Nuestro Hogar]” invita a todos los miembros de la comunidad de Fremont a participar en un proyecto comunitario para celebrar a nuestro pueblo. Imprima la tarjeta, escriba su historia migratoria o la de sus antepasados.
Contacte a Gabby Ayala para más información
For more information about Nebraska Is Home, please email Darcy Tromanhauser
For more information about Nebraska Is Home Fremont, please email:
Gabby Ayala se habla español / Spanish speaker