| USCRI Vermont February 2022 Newsletter FOR OVER 110 YEARS, ADVANCING THE RIGHTS AND LIVES OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS USCRI VERMONT EXPANDS TO RUTLAND, VT USCRI Vermont is excited about the first group of Afghan allies starting their new life in Rutland, Vermont! Community Partnership Coordinator Jennie Gartner will soon be joined by a new Job Developer and new Case Manager to support refugees and Afghan arrivals resettling in southern and western Vermont. Green Mountain Power has generously offered temporary office space to USCRI at their Energy Innovation Center in downtown Rutland until a permanent office is located. With a conference room, the latest technology, and lots of meeting space, USCRI staff are excited to be located in the heart of downtown. The Rutland community has expressed support for refugee resettlement for many years, and everyone from the Mayor, members of the Board of Alderman and Rutland school officials to the director of Community Health Services and the manager of the local food co-op have expressed their support and welcome to our new neighbors. Rutland’s business community is very excited about meeting with new arrivals who are resettling in Rutland. The Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region has been a critical partner for establishing and supporting USCRI’s new sub-office in Rutland. From skilled labor to the service industry, job offers are coming in from all over. We at USCRI Vermont are thrilled to be able to offer our new arrivals so many opportunities to begin to create financial stability in their new hometowns for themselves and their families. Working with volunteers from Rutland Welcomes, USCRI Vermont’s Rutland sub-office will be well poised to help new Afghan arrivals to plant roots and become members of a community that is excited to welcome them here. HOUSING NEEDED FOR FAMILIES We are looking for housing for Afghan and refugee families in Chittenden County, Montpelier, and Rutland – Help us welcome our new neighbors as they begin their new lives in Vermont. If you have an apartment or house available to rent, please contact John Linden at 802-338-4618 or at jlinden@uscrimail.org.  AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT UPDATES As of February 10th, we’ve welcomed 160 Afghan allies to Vermont. On January 26th, Director Amila Merdzanovic participated in a focused policy discussion and Afghan update for Vermont with US Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT), Ethiopian Community Development Council Director Joseph Wiah, and State Refugee Coordinator Tracy Dolan that addressed the state of Afghan resettlement, relevant pending, federal legislation, and state and federal resources to assist Afghan and refugee arrivals. Rep. Welch applauded the hard work of refugee agencies, volunteers, and service providers across Vermont. He reiterated the strong commitment for refugee resettlement in Vermont by the Vermont congressional delegation. We at USCRI Vermont are grateful for the steadfast support and advocacy on behalf of refugees and all new Vermonters. On Wed, Feb 2nd Amila provided testimony to the state Senate Government Operations Committee related to S.147, a bill that was introduced by Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale that would create a statewide Language Access Plan for Vermont. We would like to thank Sen Ram Hinsdale for championing this effort which will ensure that all Vermonters have access to information, programs and services in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner. We’d like to acknowledge and thank US Congressman Peter Welch and State Senator Kesha Ram for their advocacy and support of our work. WELCOME CASEY REESE – JOB DEVELOPER “Hello, my name is Casey Reese. I am excited to join the USCRI Vermont team as the new Job Developer. Originally from Massachusetts, I attended Salem State University where I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and minor in Social Work. Following graduation, I spent time working in the field of Applied Behavioral Analysis both domestically and internationally. During this time, I developed a passion for vocational development and helping others reach their goals. I look forward to utilizing my knowledge to help clients relocating here to Vermont. I also enjoy spending time outside, particularly snowboarding at one of the local mountains, along with traveling internationally when restrictions allow it.”  PASS THE AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT Contact your Congressional representative today – Thousands of at-risk Afghan arrivals are facing legal uncertainty in the U.S. because with humanitarian parole, safety is only temporary. Congress MUST pass the Afghan Adjustment Act because safety shouldn’t have an expiration date. Contact your Representatives and Senators here: bit.ly/3KUtWcu bit.ly/3AXX668.  BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT DR. OMER ABDALLA OMER  His name in Arabic translates to “The One Who Builds,” and Dr. Omer Abdalla Omer, USCRI North Carolina Field Office Director, has lived up to his name’s meaning. Omer, who was born in Sudan, has dedicated his life to building refugee and immigrant communities, both in the United States and abroad. “That’s been my life,” he said. “I just felt that I did my part because I know what it means to be a refugee.” Omer was working for Sudan’s national television as a journalist before a military junta took over the country in a 1989 coup. He fled to Libya where he lived for a year and a half before moving to the United Kingdom in 1991. There, in London, Omer worked as a case manager helping refugees from Iraq before moving to the United States in 1995, where he continued serving refugees groups. He previously worked for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS), and Omer also worked with the University of North Carolina – Greensboro for an AmeriCorp ACCESS project at the Center for New North Carolinians, as well as the North Carolina African Services Coalition. In 2013, Omer decided to move abroad to work with refugees in East Africa and the Middle East. During his time there he worked for several humanitarian and development organizations. He moved back to the U.S. in 2021 when he began his position at USCRI. Omer has received numerous awards over the years for his service. He was the winner of the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Race Relations in 2010. He was also the subject of a documentary film about his life titled, “The One Who Builds.” “I try to make a difference in some people’s lives,” Omer said. “I’m happy [with my career]. I’m so proud of it.” Omer believes it is important to celebrate Black History Month to recognize the accomplishments of both African Americans and Black refugees and immigrants, as well as the struggles for freedom and civil rights that both have endured. “For me, it’s an important month to have, [but] it’s still a job unfinished,” he said. THANK YOU OPPORTUNITIES CREDIT UNION  USCRI Vermont would like to thank our partners at Opportunities Credit Union for their generous donations to support Afghan and refugee families resettling in Chittenden County and Montpelier this last few weeks. We also want to acknowledge and extend our gratitude to OCU for providing valuable Financial Literacy education to our clients over the last year and a half as a part of our broader Education Program. USCRI VERMONT NEEDS VOLUNTEERS We will be hosting an online Volunteer Orientation on Zoom on Wed, Feb 16th at 12:30pm and Thurs, Feb 17th at 5:30pm. To access the Zoom link, email: volunteer@uscrivt.org. Volunteer Opportunities include: Family Friend English Tutor Youth Mentor Administrative assistant In-Kind Donations (pick up or organize) Transportation (client appointments) Intern Apartment Set Up  THANK YOU CENTRAL VT REFUGEE ACTION NETWORK  We’d like to acknowledge the incredible work USCRI Vermont’s partner Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN) is doing to help support Afghan arrivals in Montpelier and throughout central Vermont. From providing trips to medical appointments to moving families into new homes, CVRAN is playing a critical role in helping assist Afghan arrivals as they resettle in Vermont. “I am immensely grateful to CVRAN for their responsiveness in helping Afghan families in the Montpelier area with health needs. Their team has helped in so many ways to get clients to routine and urgent medical appointments—everything from the dentist, to the ER, to specialists in Burlington, to pediatric vaccine clinics. On top of that, they’ve helped people learn things like how to pick up meds at the pharmacy and understand our primary health care system. Health is fundamental to building a new life and our CVRAN partners are playing a crucial role in supporting the health and wellness of these new community members.” – Olivia Moseley, USCRI Vermont Health and Wellness Program Coordinator UPDATED DONATION NEEDS LIST We have lifted our temporary moratorium on accepting donated items and can begin taking items Monday, Feb 14th. Our updated needs list is found on our Facebook page. Thank you to all our in-kind donors and everyone who has contacted us to offer clothes, household items, furniture, and other essentials over the last weeks to help Afghan allies and refugees. If you’d like to make a financial donation, please click here.  YOUR DONATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE  THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS & SUPPORTERS A big THANK YOU to all of our donors and ongoing supporters who make the services and programs we offer possible, including the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Allen H. and Selma W. Berkman Family Fund, Oregon Community Foundation Elliqua Fund, Green Mountain Power, the Blakely Charitable Fund, the City of Burlington, George Burrill and Lola Van Wagehen, Ernest Pomerleau, Charlotte Congregational Church, Arnold and Kathleen Isaacs Gift Fund, Revolutionary Press, Union Church of Proctor, Concept2, Williston Federated Church, Benjamin Carlson, Alan Moore & Carol Harden, Morton and Michelle Shapiro, Mallets Bay Congregational Church, Temple Sinai Reform Jewish Congregation, Karen and Sandy Kish, Emma Huvos, and the many generous donors, faith-based organizations, and community groups who have dropped off beds, furniture, food donations, gift cards, and essential household items for our families and new arrivals. Donate Now Click on the Donate Now button below to contribute on our webpage. Thank You! |