She is the founder and the executive director of Access California Services. Access. as we call it. is a nonprofit organization in my hometown of Anaheim. California. that serves the Arab American. refugee. and immigrant communities with culturally appropriate services. including English as a second language. health and human services. employment assistance. and citizenship resources. In 1998. she opened a small office and had two clients the first month. She initially helped people sign up for the California Healthy Families program. With only a high school diploma. Nahla has now expanded Access California to serve over 11.000 Arab American. refugee. and other underserved community members in 16 different languages. She works to foster a better understanding of the cultural needs of the Arab American community. and. quite honestly. she is a living example of what is the American Dream. As we celebrated last month Arab American Heritage Month. I wanted to honor and recognize her accomplishments. the accomplishments of Nahla Kayali. and her continued work in supporting the Arab American communities and helping. in particular. refugees resettle and become contributing citizens and leaders in Orange County.
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refugees immigrant refugee