Welcoming America: Community Sponsorship Webinar
Join HHR's Founder, Kathie O'Callaghan, and Program Director, Amy Robertson, for a Community Sponsorship webinar hosted by our partners at Welcoming America on September 26 at 2:00pm ET! Be the first to learn about WA's new online training resource for welcomers across the country, plus hear from and ask questions to HHR's leaders.
In partnership with Refugee Welcome Collective, Welcoming America has developed a new self-paced training to support the work of folks engaged in or considering participating in refugee community sponsorship. Through this training, individuals and sponsor groups will build upon their experience participating in co-sponsorship and other efforts supporting the welcoming of immigrants in their community. Bolstered by the framework of the Welcoming Standard, you will learn how to utilize a whole-of-community approach in order to deepen and expand local welcoming work.
Register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/WAwebinarregister
HHR Fall Family Picnic
National Welcoming Week is a time to come together to celebrate our strengths and differences and recognize that we’re at our best when We’re All In for Community Sponsorship. Hearts & Homes for Refugees is proud to bring together those who have been welcomed with the welcomers in our communities at our 5th Annual Fall Family Picnic.
With the theme of We’re All In, we celebrate the nationwide growth of Community Sponsorship to welcome more refugees.
Come meet and mingle over food, music, activities for kids, plus plenty of community fun and friendship.
In the spirit of our shared immigrant history, we invite those who would like to bring a dish to choose something that reflects their heritage. Please include a notecard with the name of the dish and any allergens.
The picnic will be held rain or shine. Please help us plan by telling us if you are able to come and how many will attend.
RSVP here: https://forms.gle/vhagMq9A4pz9qmEL8
We look forward to seeing you there!
The Venezuelan Refugee Crisis: Zoom Webinar
Join HHR and our partners at Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid for a Zoom info session on the Venezuelan refugee crisis and the ways Americans can get involved to welcome and support Venezuelans through the Welcome Corps program.
Register here: https://bit.ly/hhrVEweb
Community Sponsorship Webinar: A Local Solution to the Global Refugee Crisis
Are you interested in learning about how you and your communities can welcome and support refugees? Hearts & Homes for Refugees is hosting two remote info sessions this week to provide a brief overview of the global refugee crisis and how you can be a part of the local solution by joining the Welcome Corps, a new government program that empowers any group of five Americans to privately resettle refugees.
Register now at the links below:
Tuesday, July 23, 7 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZckdeyvrjkoEtcPa...
Thursday, July 25, 1 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZckdeyvrjkoEtcPa...
The need for new community sponsors is urgent.
By signing up this summer to resettle refugees through the Welcome Corps, we can ensure that our new neighbors will arrive before a potential change in administration. Signing up now, you can also take advantage of the Sponsor Fund, which covers 100% of the financial requirement for new groups through July 31.
Join us this week to learn more about this exciting volunteer opportunity!
Navigating Self-Sufficiency Challenges Webinar
Join Refugee Welcome’s Collective for their Navigating Self-Sufficiency Challenges Webinar on Wednesday, January 31 from 2:00-3:00pm EST. Participants will gain understanding, confidence and strategies for navigating self-sufficiency with clients, volunteers and staff. Register here.
Winter Drive 2021
Join us for our 4th annual Winter Drive 2021. Last year we provided coats, boots, hats, scarves, gloves & socks to 500 refugees in New York & Connecticut– an increase of 11% over 2019, and 26% over 2018.
Location drop off to be determined due to hurricane Ida.
Fall Family Picnic
Join Hearts & Homes for Refugees on September 19 at Saxon Woods Park Pavilion, for our annual Fall Family picnic, beginning at 12pm!
The event will close out National Welcoming Week 2021, a time for area organizations, our new neighbors and volunteers from throughout Westchester to come together to build more welcoming communities and stronger connections.
This Welcoming Week, let’s declare that Belonging Begins With US — that each and every one of us has the power to help others, regardless of their background, to be seen, embraced, welcomed, and included in our communities. Join us to celebrate and to learn more about opportunities to join other volunteers who love being part of our work.
There will be food, music, face-painting, crafts for kids and trail walks, plus plenty of community fun and friendship. We look forward to seeing you there!
Network Download: Supporting Afghans
Join our founder Kathie O’Callaghan and the founder of Miry’s List, Miry Whitehill, along with network member Freshta Taeb for three brief talks on ways to support our Afghan neighbors!
Welcoming Week 2021
Join us for Welcoming Week on September 10-19, 2021 under the theme of “Belonging Begins With Us”! Stay tuned for more events.
Learn More about Community Sponsorship!
Want to learn more about Community Sponsorship of arriving families?
JOIN OUR ZOOM AUGUST 10 OR AUGUST 18!
We are thrilled by the news of the recent arrivals from Afghanistan to Virginia and want to be sure that we in Westchester are prepared to resettled families here. To do that, we need informed and committed Community Sponsor partners. Those who have welcomed their new neighbors have found it to be a deeply rewarding experience.
Hearts & Homes for Refugees would like to share more about what Community Sponsorship entails, and how you can participate. We are offering two Zooms in the coming days on the topic, and hope that you can join one or the other. Registration is required – see below to sign up!
When: Aug 10, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZAlduqoqTsuG9KGEdOd-Hmd...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
OR
When: Aug 18, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZwvduirrTMrHtGhlHz41vYn1tqFw...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you are not able to attend either Zoom, please let us know so that we can set up another time to get in touch!
Learn More about Community Sponsorship!
Want to learn more about Community Sponsorship of arriving families?
JOIN OUR ZOOM AUGUST 10 OR AUGUST 18!
We are thrilled by the news of the recent arrivals from Afghanistan to Virginia and want to be sure that we in Westchester are prepared to resettled families here. To do that, we need informed and committed Community Sponsor partners. Those who have welcomed their new neighbors have found it to be a deeply rewarding experience.
Hearts & Homes for Refugees would like to share more about what Community Sponsorship entails, and how you can participate. We are offering two Zooms in the coming days on the topic, and hope that you can join one or the other. Registration is required – see below to sign up!
When: Aug 10, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZAlduqoqTsuG9KGEdOd-Hmd...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
OR
When: Aug 18, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZwvduirrTMrHtGhlHz41vYn1tqFw...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you are not able to attend either Zoom, please let us know so that we can set up another time to get in touch!
hello@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org
World Refugee Day Music Festival
Celebrate World Refugee Day 2021 this Sunday with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Music Festival!
This free outdoor community celebration will feature musical acts from around the world, along with theater, dance, visual art and more. The event will be followed by a 5pm performance of Judeo-Arab hits from the greatest divas of North Africa. Other groups performing include the People's Theatre Project, New Women New Yorkers Storytellers, musician Jei Fabiane oficial, Sesame Flyers and more.
This exciting event includes the participation of some of our friends at Catholic Charities of New York, HIAS and International Rescue Committee!
US Immigration Agenda Under the Biden Administration-Virtual Discussion
Our founder Kathie O'Callaghan will be addressing the very important topic of community sponsorship and the role it plays in resettling, welcoming, assisting and advocating for refugees. Community sponsorship has been our focus at Hearts & Homes, and we are pleased that the Biden administration has acknowledged that volunteers and community organizing (Community Sponsors) play a critical role in expanding the U.S. refugee admissions program.
Kathie looks forward to joining the other esteemed panelists, especially our partner Kelly Agnew-Barajas from Catholic Charities of New York.
Affordable Housing Webinar: Addressing the Housing Crisis
Affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our new neighbors in Westchester. For those interested in learning more about how to advocate for affordable housing, there is a 3-part webinar series - register here:
On May 5, the third part of the webinar series will be on the steps the government and activists can take to address the housing crisis. It will be hosted by Abe Baker-Butler and panelists will include:
Vanessa Agudelo - Councilmember - City of Peekskill
Rebecca Garrard - Campaign Manager for Housing Justice, Citizen Action of NY
Lisa Burton – Office of County Legislator Damon Maher
Thehbia Hiwot - President of the Office of Finance and Development, NYS HOUSING TRUST FUND CORPORATION
Spring Cleaning Winter Coat & Boot Drive
Spring Cleaning? Save Those Winter Coats and Boots!
Hearts & Homes for Refugees and Neighbors for Refugees collect and distribute winter coats and boots to over 400 refugees every year. This will happen again in October - if you are spring cleaning, please save those warm coats and boots (for adults and children) for our drive!
Remember, items must be in *good* condition, clean and free of rips or tears.
If you are unable to hold onto the items until October, please put them in a clean garbage bag, tie it closed and label the bag “winter coats/boots”, and bring them to us on our contactless collection day!
WHEN: Saturday May 1
TIME: 10am - 3pm
WHERE: 640 South Fulton Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550
To volunteer on May 1, or to let us know if you plan to bring items either in May or October, please see our Coat & Boot Collection Sign-Up.
For information contact: amy@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org or info@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org
914.393.0776
Special Immigrant Visa Advocacy Meeting
Please join us for a Zoom meeting on April 29 at 7 PM, to learn more about a volunteer opportunity to help streamline Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) applications for resettlement from the comfort of your home.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZIlceGvrDorH9NUoXGyU...
The Iraqi SIV program has been closed, leaving thousands of our allies at risk. To help more Afghans reach safety here in the U.S., Hearts & Homes is calling for volunteers to support the processing of SIV requests/applications for visas.
We are partnering with our friends at Keeping Our Promise, which has been assisting SIVs with their cases and resettling new SIV families. Each case differs, but the most frequent need is locating former supervisors who can vouch for the SIV and his/her work on behalf of our troops. It is a desk assignment, entailing emails, paperwork and phone calls.
The time commitment is estimated to be 3-6 hours for one week, and then only 1-2 hours a month.
Town Hall: Building Welcoming Communities
Let’s meet our newest Representatives and introduce them to the people who are part of the welcoming movement in and around Westchester County.
We specifically look forward to talking about the growing focus from this Administration and others on Community Sponsorship, in all its forms.
We are pleased to also be joined by:
George Latimer, Westchester County Executive, has been a stalwart supporter of welcoming new Americans in our communities.
Chris George, Executive Director of IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services), the national leader in Community Sponsorship.
Let's make sure our Representatives know our commitment to refugees and the strength of the welcoming movement here in Westchester County.
Register now! https://bit.ly/39poayo
Download the pdf version of our flyer for sharing!
Arabic Health Class: Prenatal & Maternal Health
Held in Arabic, this class will be all about maternal and prenatal health!
Affordable Housing Webinar: Solutions to the Housing Crisis
Affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our new neighbors in Westchester. For those interested in learning more about how to advocate for affordable housing, there is a 3-part webinar series - register here:
On April 21, the second part of the webinar series will be on solutions to the housing crisis. It will be hosted by Joan Grangenois-Thomas, Trustee, Village of Port Chester, New York and panelists will include:
Cea Weaver - Campaign Coordinator, Housing Justice for All
Rich Nightingale, CEO Westhab
William G. Balter - Principal, Wilder Balter Partners Inc.
James Rausse, AICP, WEDG - Director, Planning & Development Office of the Bronx Borough President
Advocacy for SIVs (postcards & more)
Amy Robertson of Hearts & Homes for Refugees is pleased to join Neighbors for Refugees for their 'Third Thursday' advocacy event this month!
This month we advocate for the SIVs, Afghan and Iraqi nationals with Special Immigrant Visa status for their service with American troops (despite great danger to themselves and their families). Thousands of SIVs remain in peril because the United States is not keeping their promise to relocate them to the United States.
This month’s action will be held on Thursday April 15. Optional Zoom introduction will be at 7:00 PM, and special guest Amy Robertson will share more about Hearts & Homes' efforts for SIVs and additional ways to help!
The Zoom link, instructions, and post card pickup location provided upon registration. Keep in mind the brief meeting is optional, but does provide an opportunity to meet each other and have Q&A.
REGISTER FOR APRIL 15 ACTION HERE: https://bit.ly/2Qm1Qiz
Arabic Health Class: COVID & the Pediatric Healthcare System
Held in Arabic, this class focuses on the pandemic, the vaccine, and navigating the pediatric healthcare system.
Hello Neighbor Network Convening
Hearts & Homes for Refugees is one of the eight founding members of the Hello Neighbor Network, a coalition of grassroots refugee & immigrant-focused nonprofits.
We are truly excited for the Network’s virtual convening this year- they have many amazing speakers, discussions and engagement opportunities lined up. Learn more and register for the convening here: https://www.neighbornetwork.io/2021-convening-registration.
Affordable Housing Webinar: The History of Our Housing Crisis
Affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our new neighbors in Westchester. For those interested in learning more about how to advocate for affordable housing, there is a 3-part webinar series - register here:
On April 7, the first webinar of the series will be on the history of our housing crisis and what has inhibited fair and affordable housing from being built and fully integrated into the county.
It will be hosted by Juanita Lewis, Hudson Valley Organizing Director, Community Voices Heard and panelists include:
David Schwartz - Vice-Chair, Working Families Party - Westchester/Putnam Chapter
Norma Drummond - Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Planning
Joe Czajka - Senior Vice-President - Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
Watch & Discuss the New CBS Sitcom United States of Al
Please join us Thursday, April 1 to watch and discuss the new CBS sitcom, United States of Al.
The story is about an Afghan interpreter who comes to the U.S. and is welcomed by an ex-Marine with whom he worked in Afghanistan.
These allies are granted Special Immigration Visas, or SIVs, to enter the U.S. because of their service, and we have many SIV holders here in Westchester. We are all very curious to see how this show portrays the experience! Will it be authentic? Will it help raise awareness about the plight of SIVs?
After watching the premiere, we will host a discussion forum including SIV holders
Chris Purdy of Veterans for American Ideals and our own Ambassador, Reshad Ahmadi will be sharing updates and insights on the SIV program.
Register here: https://bit.ly/39zdNbD
Innovators Awards in Global Affiars and Benefit
Join Network 20/20 for their Innovators Awards in Global Affairs and Benefit taking place on Wednesday, March 24 at 7 PM.
Network 20/20 is a global community committed to the understanding of, and, engagement in, foreign policy issues that affect us all. Both Hearts & Homes for Refugees, and Network 20/20 share the belief that communication, education and directed action can pave the way toward international justice, understanding and safety.
To learn more or register, please visit bit.ly/IABenefit
UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Panel: Economic and Social Inclusion of Refugee Women Through Language Classes
On March 17, our president & founder Kathie O’Callaghan, has been asked to speak on a panel for the sixty-fifth session of the UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Along with four others, she will speak on a panel, organized by Writers and Journalists Foundation in New York, about the issue of economic and social inclusion of refugee women through language classes. The session that she is participating in, is one of 700 others over the course of several days. We are honored that Kathie was chosen to participate as someone who has insight into this very relevant topic for refugees.
IMMIGRATION 101 Training
IMMIGRATION 101 Training
March 15, 2021 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services is hosting an introduction to immigration law training for social workers, case managers, educators, advocates, and others that work with the immigrant community in the Hudson Valley. Join to learn about:
-U.S. Immigration System
-Immigration Court
-Family-Based Form of Relief
-Humanitarian Relief (e.g. Asylum, SIJS, VAWA, U & T Visas)
-Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
-Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
-Immigration Updates & the New Administration
-Making Sense of Immigration Documents
-Benefits & Resources Available to Immigrants
-Advocacy Resources
Join on Zoom: http://fordham.zoom.us/j/83948647268 | Meeting ID: 839 4864 7268
Join by phone: (646) 558-8656 (when prompted, enter 83948647268#)
HIAS's Refugee Shabbat
HIAS’s Refugee Shabbat is around the corner, on March 5-6, 2021.
If your congregation is planning an event and interested in having a speaker, please reach out to us at wri@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org
Representatives from Hearts & Homes for Refugees would be happy to talk about the global refugee crisis, how communities can respond locally by welcoming an arriving family, and other ways to get involved in the welcoming movement.
Diana Jones Online Concert
On SUNDAY, FEBRUARY, 28th at 4pm EST we’d like to invite you to attend an exclusive online concert by Diana Jones! Join together for an evening inspired by the year we have survived, together and apart.
Here's the weblink with all the details and sign up:
https://www.dianajonesmusic.com/online-concert-1
Donations will help me to release Song To A Refugee in the US! If you can't donate please come anyway! There are perks and everyone will get an MP3 of my new song "In Good Company" just for signing up!
Virtual Opening for: Border Cantos | Sonic Border: Richard Misrach | Guillermo Galindo
You're cordially invited to a Members' virtual reception to celebrate the opening of
Border Cantos | Sonic Border:
Richard Misrach | Guillermo Galindo
Friday, February 19, 7–8pm
Hosted by HRM Director and CEO Masha Turchinsky
Remarks by featured artists Richard Misrach and Guillermo Galindo
Video tour of the exhibition by Laura Vookles, Chair, Curatorial Department
Musical performance by Guillermo Galindo
RSVP required for this event: rsvp@hrm.org
Border Cantos | Sonic Border is a moving collaboration between photographer Richard Misrach and sculptor and composer Guillermo Galindo of sight and sound explorations that addresses the humanitarian situation at the wall between the US and Mexico. Presented in English and Spanish, Border Cantos offers perspective on the challenges of migration, inviting us to bridge boundaries.