Our History
The Aurora Welcome Center (AWC) began as the Aurora Human Rights Center (AHRC), which was first formed in 2008 when day laborers gathering informally near the corner of Dayton and East Colfax in what is known as Original Aurora became the subject of concern for local businesses and politicians. Several nonprofits groups organizing in and serving the immigrant community in Original Aurora and the east metro Denver area began meeting regularly that fall to explore their common goals, determining there was considerable overlap among their constituencies and the possibility of significant synergism in their co-location. They formed a collaboration to create a jointly-governed, shared-space facility with a focus that has evolved to services for immigrants and refugees with the main objective being integration.