Bilingual International Assistant Services is a not-for-profit 501 (C) (3) organization established in May, 2002 by stateless refugee women. Bilingual International was founded as a response to the unmet needs of foreign-born seniors who had limited ability in the English language, were unable to navigate the intricate system of care, and often voiced fear over their future and livelihood.
In 2005, the agency began serving US-born older adults, who, despite knowledge of English, lacked knowledge of the system of care and resources. Poverty stricken, isolated seniors who were also home bound and frail sought our services to help them improve their living situations, overcome anxieties, and increase their ability to maintain community living.
In 2016, Bilingual International welcomed two long-time partner agencies: the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma and the Places for People Faith Team. These recent additions have enhanced the agency’s service portfolio – especially to refugees and survivors of state-sanctioned torture.
Free of negative bias, we advocate for and encourage legislation that promotes statewide accessible, appropriate health and social services for under-served individuals and populations. Through our services and proven track record, we not only live our mission – we go beyond expectations to help our elderly and foreign-born communities.
View Our Board – View Our Team – View Our Partners – View our Annual Report 2016-2017
Featured News
Macklind International Welcomes Chinese Senior Group
Over the past several years, Macklind International has hosted special events for Chinese-speaking seniors. Beginning in late September, we will be hosting a recurring Chinese senior group in an effort to expand services and engage isolated populations. The program for last Monday’s group included a health insurance Q&A, hand yoga, chair exercises (and, apparently, […]
Afghan Senior Women’s Group Gets Crafty at Perennial
One Monday a month, thanks to the talented instructors at Perennial Community Workshops, our crafty women from the Afghan senior group at Macklind International Senior Center are able to participate in an engaging workshop. Last Monday, September 25th they learned how to create stepping stone mosaics with salvaged glass and tile at Perennial, and how to […]
Featured Events
Goldfarb School of Nursing at Macklind International Senior Center
Macklind International Senior Center is excited to collaborate with the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College. As part of the Community and Public Health curriculum, nursing students visited our Bosnian Senior Group on Tuesday, September 19th. The goal of the visit was to raise students’ awareness of health issues concerning seniors in the community […]
Thank you for your continued support!
Bilingual International celebrated another successful year for our hugely popular Henna Hands booth at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park. The weather couldn’t have been better and, thanks to our volunteer henna artists and cashiers, we were able to do over 330 henna pieces and raise critical funds for our direct services with […]
Visit Our Henna Art Booth at the Festival of Nations This Weekend!
BIAS is hosting a Henna booth at the Festival of Nations on August 26-27, 2017