Immigrants Welcomed: A City Sees Economic Promise

Playing soccer with other refugees and immigrants (and some Americans) gives these people a way to fit into their new country and community. And a feeling of "home".   - - Donna Poisl

by EMILY MCCORD

If there's one common language that some recent immigrants in Dayton, Ohio, seem to share, it's soccer.

The first Dayton World Soccer Games kicked off earlier this year, an initiative hosted by the city to welcome an influx of immigrants. On the field, a rainbow of brightly colored jerseys represented nearly 20 of the different immigrant communities in the city.

"I've been really surprised to see that there's a lot of soccer going on in Dayton," says Adolphe Bizwinayo, who left Rwanda as a refugee.
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