CVRAN

November Newsletter

Happy Stick Season from CVRAN!

Monthly Roundup

Our Fall Fundraiser continues! Click here to give a gift this Giving Tuesday. Please remember that we are happy to accept stock donations. As of November 30th, we have already received donations and pledges exceeding $90,000, but we remain hopeful to achive our goal of $150,000 by the end of this year.

CVRAN is proud to team up with Just Basics, Inc. to bring the Refugee Food Access Partnership to the Montpelier Food Pantry. JBI and CVRAN have partnered with one Montpelier donor to design and deliver pre-order boxes of culturally-significant foods for immigrant families (including Basmati rice, bread flour, beans, and halal chicken) weekly throughout this winter and spring. Hunger Mountain Co-Op has generously provided products at-cost for this program and as of the end of November we’ve already handed out over 50 boxes to families in town!

CVRAN is now offering an ELL Incentives Program in partnership with Central Vermont Adult Education (CVAE). CVRAN has designated a fund to pay a $50 incentive each month to adults (age 18+) who participate regularly in English language courses, starting in December. To participate, the adult must enroll at CVAE or another qualifying ELL program and participate in a minimum number of classes per month, including assigned homework. We hope that working adults, often coming home exhausted and having many other responsibilities to attend to, will be motivated to build their English language proficiency. CVRAN remains strongly committed to language access and views all languages as valuable avenues for communication, while also recognizing that English acquisition is a crucial skill for career and social development in this state.

In the wake of a heinous act of violence by an Afghan national in Washington D.C. this week, the Trump administration has taken aim at the entire Afghan community. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a statement detailing new “negative, country-specific factors to be considered when vetting aliens from 19 high-risk countries” including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela, and others. CVRAN released a statement in partnership with the Vermont Afghan Alliance in which we express our concern that the 600+ Afghans living in Vermont will experience increased scrutiny by immigration enforcement and uncertainty about their future here in this state. CVRAN and VAA state “As organizations dedicated to serving the refugee population in Vermont, we are deeply opposed this proposed action. We will continue to work alongside refugees, who have only made our communities stronger and more vibrant.”

Recent Events & Articles

Community Highlights

Clients are giving back to their community by volunteering with various organizations and events this fall, including the Meals on Wheels program and the Thanksgiving Market at Montpelier High School.

Families are finally getting their kids into daycare! Huge thanks to Turtle Island Children’s Center for welcoming families with open arms.

Our Jobs Committee is working very hard to match clients with employers in Central VT. Two clients found new positions this month while several others are actively searching for employment, both with local businesses and exploring self-employment.

Volunteer Spotlight

Monique specializes in teaching English to new immigrants. Her teaching style is creative and consistent—she sticks with her students and makes sure they stick with their practicing. She also gets to know them well and becomes a trusted friend.

– Favorite place: Paris
– Fiction recommendation: Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon
– Best CVRAN moment: when my ESL students take to their wings and handle themselves completely fluently, comfortably and independently in English out in the community.

Sarah is a new CVRAN volunteer, and she jumped in quickly. She has been willing to do anything needed, including attending many long medical appointments. She balances this out by finding fun events and outings so this family can experience the pleasures of Central VT. A team member says, “Sarah is lovely—she is enthusiastic and generous. She says ‘YES’ to helping out whenever she can. She is a trooper!”

– Favorite food: chocolate or a great big green salad
– Favorite place: wherever there are people I love and my home in East Montpelier, which I am thankful for every day
– Favorite cultural past time: to see art or hear live music

Want To Help Out?

Here are some current volunteer needs from our Volunteer Coordinator, Isabelle Tibi:

• Administrative – looking for someone to research & prepare how-to guides for clients e.g. “What to consider when buying your first car” etc.
• Transportation – still always looking for drivers to and from appointments at varying time intervals
• Physical or service donation – seeking sewing materials and sewing machine repair skills!

You’re Invited!

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