Grantee Highlight – Presentation Lantern Center: Lighting the Way for Immigrants and Refugees

At the Presentation Lantern Center in Dubuque, Iowa, the mission is simple yet transformative: welcome immigrants and refugees, and help them build skills for work, school, and daily life. Through free one-on-one English tutoring, U.S. citizenship test preparation, and advocacy, the Lantern Center empowers adult learners to grow and find their place in the community. Here, everyone is welcome—and everyone belongs.

A student and Presentation Lantern Center staff member sit at a table talking.

The Presentation Lantern Center recently received its first $2,000 ACT grant, and the impact will be significant. As Ann Lorenz, Community Outreach Director, explains: “The Presentation Lantern Center, located in Dubuque, Iowa, is thrilled to receive our first $2,000 ACT grant! As the only center of its kind within 75 miles, this grant will make a real difference for the multilingual learners we serve. With the upcoming USCIS citizenship test updates, we will be able to purchase new student and teacher workbooks, bilingual workplace skills and financial literacy materials, and easy reader and phonics books for learners who aren’t yet literate in their native language—helping everyone move forward with confidence in English, at work and in their communities.”

These resources will strengthen the Lantern Center’s programs by ensuring learners have access to updated materials for citizenship preparation, workplace readiness, and literacy development. The grant also supports the center’s ongoing goals: welcoming new learners, training tutors, and continually improving programs that help immigrants and refugees thrive.

Want to Get Involved?

Want to support this mission? Learn more about the Presentation Lantern Center at: www.thelanterncenter.org. Together, we can ensure that every immigrant and refugee feels welcome, supported, and empowered to succeed.