Hasan Sif Eddin, 56, who immigrated from Syria and Jordan to Waterville, holds his 11-month-old daughter Maryam while standing beside his 15-year-old daughter Ola and his wife Yooser. The family was attending an event welcoming immigrants held Wednesday at Holy Cannoli in downtown Waterville and hosted by the Capital Area New Mainers Project. "You can make friends. They are helpful people. I think I am very lucky to come here," Sif Eddin said. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — Hasan Sif Eddin and his family are so happy to be in Waterville, their home of two years.

They fled the war in Syria and lived in Jordan for 11 years before arriving in Maine and settling in Waterville. The U.S. was so different than what Sif Eddin had expected.

“I imagined huge cities but when I came here, it’s similar to my neighborhood where I grew up,” he said. “I grew up in a village. I found nice people here. You can make friends. They are helpful people. I think I am very lucky to come here.”

Sif Eddin, 56, his wife, Youser, sons Abdulah and Abdul Rahman, and daughters Ola and Maryam were among about 50 immigrants who turned out Wednesday night at Holy Cannoli downtown for a community gathering hosted by the Capital Area New Mainers Project and catered by the eatery as well as Mezza, Iraqi Kebab Market and OPA.

It was an upbeat affair, with community members meeting and greeting their new neighbors, who came to the U.S. from countries including Iraq, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan.

“They are either fleeing political persecution or violence,” Jon Godbout, executive director of the New Mainers Project said, as he floated among the crowd of about 70. “Some families have just arrived a month or so ago; others have been here eight years.”

The group dined on everything from cabbage rolls to chicken and rice, grape leaves and spaghetti, chatted animatedly and listened to short speeches from Godbout, Waterville Mayor Mike Morris, Holy Cannoli owner Jason Furchak and Mezza founder and former Mayor Tom Nale Sr., who helped organize the event.

Serena Sanborn, right, and Lisa Wheeler, her coworker at Waterville Creates, volunteer at an event Wednesday night at Holy Cannoli in Waterville hosted by the Capitol Area New Mainers Project. Sanborn is serving pita bread while Wheeler is serving tabbouleh, both donated by Mezza, a Lebanese bakery in Waterville. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“We love you all,” Furchak said. “We welcome you to our restaurant and our community.”

Nale, a lawyer and retired district judge, said he was proud to see new Mainers coming through the doors. He told the group that his family came to the U.S. in 1910 from Lebanon and settled at Head of Falls on the banks of the Kennebec River in Waterville.

“I am one of you,” he said.

The New Mainers Project, based in Augusta and Waterville, “seeks to embrace immigrants as those who bring much-needed diversity, energy and vitality to our area.” Through programs and a volunteer network, the group aims to meet needs of immigrants and educate the broader community about diverse cultures and issues facing new Mainers.

The organization connects residents with immigrants, who then share experiences and build relationships. The volunteers help new Mainers access resources to get their immediate and long-term needs met, and provide opportunities for them to get involved in the community.

Godbout said Colby College, Waterville Creates and area nonprofit organizations have been great partners in the effort, which plans to rotate community gathering events between Augusta and Waterville.

Hannah Bard, director of Mid-Maine Regional Adult & Community Education, was among the crowd Wednesday night. She said her office is usually the first place immigrants come to when they arrive in the city, as there is no immigration center in Waterville or Kennebec County. About 50-75 people seeking educational opportunities are enrolled in classes, she said, with the rest on a waiting list.

“They are anxious to learn English,” Bard said. “They want to learn English. They’re just very eager to learn. They come with such rich backgrounds and teach us about how to build our programs and how to do things better.”

Sif Eddin earned his high school diploma in the adult education program and his wife is working on hers, Bard said. Their teenage children, ages 15-19, are enrolled at Waterville Senior High School; their daughter, Maryam, was born 11 months ago.

Sif Eddin is studying heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Kennebec Valley Community College and is scheduled to enter the electrical program next year. Bard said he has been instrumental in bringing new families to adult education programs, explaining what is available and helping educators develop programs.

“We’re very lucky to have him,” Bard said. “He’s taught us a lot. We’re very proud of him.”

A garlic knot from Holy Cannoli is served Wednesday night on a plate of food donated by restaurants that also included Mezza, OPA, and the Iraqi Kebab Market during a buffet-style meal at Holy Cannoli. The gathering was hosted by the Capital Area New Mainers Project, which aims to welcome and help new immigrants to the area. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Steve Knight, a board member of the New Mainers Project since 2017 who teaches history at KVCC, was meeting people Wednesday and sharing stories. Knight is a family mentor, helping immigrants to get what they need, learn about the city, enroll in school and earn their driver’s licenses. Knight even drives children to Educare Central Maine, an early learning center in Waterville, so that their parents may go to work. He said all the families he works with are legal immigrants.

Waterville City Councilor Rien Finch, D-Ward 6, said he was proud to represent his district, which encompasses downtown, and to take part in Wednesday’s event.

“To all of the new Mainers: Welcome,” he said.

Morris read aloud a proclamation declaring Jan. 22, 2025, a welcoming day in the city. It says Waterville is proud to be a cross-cultural community that embraces diversity and welcomes immigrants from all walks of life, and that the city recognizes the contributions of immigrant residents. His remarks received loud applause.

“The strength of Waterville lies in its commitment to inclusion, understanding and collaboration, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive,” Morris said, “and we are dedicated to building a thriving, integrated community in central Maine where all residents feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential.”

Sif Eddin said later that he and his family want to remain in Waterville, where they have found a home.

“I have many friends in the city,” he said. “I know many people. I feel it’s like my village.”