Birmingham, Alabama might not be the destination for many immigrants from the Caribbean but ask those who have made the southern state their home, in some cases for over 30 years and they will tell you that is unfortunate, because it is a well-kept secret.

The newly formed group Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization or CACAO for short is comprised of Caribbean nationals from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Dominica, Surinam, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Surinam and encompasses the area from Birmingham, south to Montgomery and Auburn, Alabama. Their mission, aside from fun and fellowship, is to provide a resource for students from the Caribbean who are thinking of attending any of the universities in the state.

According to group President, Ms. Pauline Ford-Caesar: “As we move forward with applying for our non-profit status, our main aim is to be able to assist students by providing them with a home away from home, especially for those who cannot return to the Caribbean when the campus is closed for US holidays like Thanksgiving. Rather than having them stay in the dorm, our members are more than willing to take students in and make them feel at home.”

Additionally as the group grows financially, they hope to be able to offer small scholarships to cover some of the costs associated with being an international student. To that end CACAO is preparing to host their first dinner dance on December, 17th. Outreach Coordinator for the group, Maureen Richards has taken on the planning for the event almost as a full time job and is working tirelessly to ensure the dinner will formally announce the group’s presence to the larger Birmingham community.