CLINIC's 35th Anniversary Year

CLINIC 35th Anniversary Logo

August 2023 - August 2024

Initially run out of a back office and made up of a network of just 17 community-based organizations, CLINIC’s founders could never have imagined the immense growth of the network, the scope of its work today, and the countless lives it has touched over the years. CLINIC was founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops to support a growing network of community and faith-based organizations who were working to meet the overwhelming needs of immigrants seeking legal services following the 1986 legislation that transformed the immigration system, including foreign-born religious workers.  

At CLINIC, we always come back to the “why” behind our work. The Catholic social tradition on which we are based articulates the equal, untouchable dignity of all people, and the fact that we are “brothers and sisters all.” CLINIC’s founders saw the dignity and worth of immigrants in the United States who needed legal support to build better futures. Today, CLINIC continues to protect the rights of immigrants that are enshrined in national and international law.  

This is why our tagline for this 35th anniversary year is “Upholding Dignity, Protecting Rights.” We will always come back to that mission, based on the principles of our faith and values as a nation of immigrants. Over the course of this next year, we will celebrate those who have shaped and driven CLINIC’s work and reflect on how we have and continue to pursue our mission to embrace the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger.

We are immensely grateful to all who have supported us over the years. If you would like to contribute to CLINIC's mission to provide high-quality legal services to low-income immigrants, please click here.

Affiliate Newsletter

Feature Article

As we conclude our 35th anniversary year in August 2024, please check out this feature article about the history of CLINIC's training work through the eyes of several of our longest-serving employees — Kristina Karpinski, Charles Wheeler, and Sarah Bronstein — who all have served at CLINIC for nearly our entire history. Click here to read their insights and experience a "blast from the past" of photos from CLINIC trainings, including the earliest days of CLINIC Convening.