June Newsletter
Volunteer Dian Kahn picking out books with her Summer Reading buddies at our program kickoff event on June 14th.
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Monthly Roundup
Many Voices, One Vermont on 99.3 FM—is a 30-minute program celebrating the voices, stories, experiences, cultures, and contributions that make our community strong. This show is brought to you by the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Vermont (USCRI Vermont), Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN), Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP), and other local community partners.
Check out our recent article for info about this show’s content and how to tune in!
We’re inviting our subscribers to register as members and reminding existing members to renew their dues (see links below). You can now choose the option that works best for you:
Annual membership or One‑time lifetime membership
CVRAN remains committed to accessibility, so both options follow a pay‑what‑you‑can model. Every contribution—large or small—helps sustain our work with immigrant and refugee families in Central Vermont. If you’re able, please take a moment to renew your membership. Your support truly keeps this community moving forward.
CVRAN was proud to co-host another successful visit of the Mexican Consulate of Boston to Montpelier this month. We want to issue an enormous thank you to all who continue to make this event a welcoming, productive, and fun event each year.
According to event organizer and former CVRAN President, Rachel Cogbill, “There was a buzz of conversation upstairs in the ‘sala de espera’ where the round tables were set out, good food organized, and children gathered around the toys…Vermont Legal Aid, Bridges to Health, Migrant Justice, and M&T Bank were all providing services. Christ Church went all out with soliciting clergy to be a presence outside, use of the copier inside, new work on the air conditioning, the special internet hooked up, and furniture in place. Their sanctuary policy is established, making the upstairs gathering a safe place. Migrant Justice volunteers as well as the clergy were a discrete presence outside. CVRAN provided over 20 volunteers in many positions. An early statistic; the number of people making appointments ahead of time were 88, with another 43 walk-ins.” What an impactful day!
Some fun you don’t want to miss! Are you a fan of cricket? Vermont Afghan Alliance and USCRI-VT are helping create a new cricket team. All are welcome. Please scan the QR code to the left or contact Aman at VAA if you are interested: aman@vtafghanalliance.org.
On May 29th, we were lucky to host an event featuring local band Small Axe, after singer Andy Plante reached out and generously offered to play a concert to raise funds for CVRAN. The acoustic-based band performed covers of Woody Guthrie, Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan alongside their own original songs. Andy spoke about how he curated the setlist to speak directly to the values and mission behind CVRAN’s work. The evening was full of singing and community spirit, and we raised several hundred dollars at the door and through sales from Just Food Hub. In case you missed it, you can watch a recording of the performance here below. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and to Small Axe for their generosity and for sharing their incredible music with us!
An update on federal immigration policy – Immigration courts nationwide are currently rescheduling many hearings. They are also starting to schedule large “mega master” hearings, where many people receive the same preliminary court date. These hearings can be crowded and scheduled on a short time-frame, so it’s important to stay updated on all case information.
Immigration lawyers now recommend all applicants check their hearing dates and case status every few days directly through EOIR’s automated system. This helps prevent missed hearings and ensures you know exactly when and where you need to appear.
If you are not in immigration court and are applying for something with USCIS (such as an asylum interview, an EAD, or a petition for a family member) you will not have a court date. Instead, you should log into your myUSCIS online account to check the status of those filings.
If you receive a hearing notice you don’t understand—or if you’re unsure whether a notice is real—CVRAN can help you review it.
Recent News
What happened when a tiny school district refused to ‘bend the knee’ to Trump and ICE (6/3)
In review: Burlington clears officers in ICE raid, masking bill quashed, Migrant Justice’s origins (6/5)
Vermont school districts adopt new immigration protocols (6/15)
Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund surpasses its $1 million goal year after founding (6/15)
Across Vermont, networks of volunteers push back on Trump’s immigration enforcement (6/22)
Justices Back Border Officers in Dispute Over Green Card Reentry (6/23)
Federal court allows ICE to expand expedited deportations nationwide (6/24)
The Supreme Court says the U.S. can turn away asylum seekers at the border (6/25)
Supreme Court allows Trump to end temporary protections for Haitians, Syrians (6/25)
Justices Reject Trump’s Effort to End Birthright Citizenship (6/30)
Community Highlights
It’s summer and with it come changes and shifts. On the streets of Montpelier or in driveways, we can see CVRAN children on their bicycles, kids home from school playing outside. Two of our youth clients have graduated from high school, others have taken a summer job or an internship. A volunteer rounded up and distributed soccer balls to donate to those who had expressed interest, right in time for the FIFA World Cup knock-out stage!
Last week we held the first gathering of an informal library playgroup for the children of five Afghan women registered in an English class with CVAE. With children home from school, CVRAN and CVAE thought creatively, and the class was moved to the library for the summer. This provides easy access to a great space where children can be cared for during their mom’s English class.
With support from a group of CVRAN volunteers, old and new, the Children’s Library was buzzing with activity on Monday, with children painting, playing and roaming through the stacks. We are so grateful for the library’s warm and patient welcome, and for our volunteers who showed up to support the kids and women. We are very thankful to CVAE teacher Liza Earle-Centers, who collaborated with us to come up with this solution, allowing the women to keep up with their class attendance and maintain a hard earned progress acquired during the long winter months!
Volunteer Spotlight: Joyce Manchester
Joyce first got involved with CVRAN in early 2022. She and her husband have been supporting women and girls in Afghanistan since they lost good friends on 9/11. The chance to help Afghan and other refugees much closer to home in Vermont was one they were excited to take.
Joyce attended the first meeting of the CVRAN Finance Committee in June 2022. As CVRAN’s role in the refugee community expanded, so did the Committee’s workload. Along the way, Joyce helped a few Afghan women with math during weekly tutoring sessions and went on to become a co-team leader for four different households (not all at once!). “In October 2024 I became CVRAN’s Treasurer, taking over from the legendary Don Welch,” Joyce says.
Joyce does a truly astounding amount of work day-in and day-out for CVRAN, and our Board and staff offer a heartfelt thank‑you for her steady guidance and care across projects big and small. Her work strengthens every corner of our organization.
Favorite CVRAN moment: In March a few years ago, we invited several Afghan families to our house for a sugar-on-snow party with our homemade maple syrup. The Afghan children initially turned up their noses at the yummy syrup turning to caramel on a bowl full of snow. But one brave child tried it, absolutely loved it, and soon they were all in!
Book recommendation: I just read Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser. Such a sweet story of grandparent love with lots of art history along the way.
Favorite food: Oatmeal pancakes topped with homemade maple syrup and blueberries from our garden.
Favorite thing to do in VT: I love hiking and cross-country skiing in the Green Mountains, preferably joined by family and friends.
Want To Help Out?
The first week of summer camp just finished and volunteers and parents are gearing up to continue transporting children to camp again next week, whether it be basketball camp, nature camp or soccer camp. In one of our families, all three children are spending the summer together at the same educational provider for the first time. Little sister is proudly taking her two big brothers with her! We are still looking for support driving to and from camp on a number of days over the summer.
One of our New Vermonter clients is about to start a Licensed Nurse Assistant Training Program. Want to support her in achieving her goal? Please consider volunteering on Wednesday evenings, starting July 22, until mid-September. We are looking for volunteers to drive her to her class in Hyde Park, and back to Montpelier. Volunteers can sign up for the Wednesdays that work with their schedule during that time period – no need to commit every week. Class starts at 5 and finishes at 9 pm.
Please contact Isabelle Tibi isabelle.tibi@cvran.org if interested or if you have any questions.
You’re Invited!
Click to expand each calendar item
July 3
“250 Together!” Montpelier Independence Day Celebration
Downtown Montpelier
3:00 – 10:30 PM
More info here
July 5
Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup – Summer Meetups
North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier
9:00-11:00 AM
July 11
Kids Trade & Play
Capitol City Grange – 6612 VT-12, Berlin
2:00 - 5:00 PM
August 1
Glinnis Hill Farm Concert Fundraiser
365 Glinnis Rd, Northfield
5:00-10:00 PM
4 bands, barbeque, and raising funds for free CSA shares
More info here
EVERY Friday
Free Summer Meal Pickup
Montpelier High School
10:30 – 1:30 PM
More info at right
EVERY Saturday
