Mayoral Proclamation!
Welcoming Week Events
- Willy St Fair, Meet & Greet Booth, September 17
- Citizenship / Naturalization Ceremony, September 19
- Free Family Night and Kids Peace Celebration at Madison Children's Museum, September 20
- The Memory Project Exhibit Opening Reception, September 21
- Soccer Fest, September 23
- Screening of 8 Borders, 8 Days, with film director Amanda Bailly, September 24
Details below!
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"4th Wednesday" General Meeting
Note: Our normal 3rd Wednesday meeting has been moved to the 4th Wednesday because of a conflict with Rosh Hashana.
The meeting will be:
Wednesday Sept 27, 7pm-8:30pm
at James Wright Middle School,
1717 Fish Hatchery Rd, Madison
Also in this issue:
- Backpacks and School Supplies for Kids
- Seeking Volunteer Coordinator
- Cultural Companions Program
- Housewares and Furniture Needs
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Welcoming Week Mayoral Proclamation
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Welcoming Week: Willy St Fair, Meet and Greet Booth
Sunday September 17
9:00 am – 7:00 pm
800, 900 and 1000 blocks of Williamson Street
(the booth will be on the 1000 block)
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Open Doors for Refugees will be hosting a meet and greet booth at the 40th annual Willy Street Fair which takes place on the 800, 900 and 1000 blocks of Williamson Street this Sunday (a smaller version of it begins on Saturday afternoon) The fair consists of an assortment of music on three stages, food carts, street vendors and other entertainment. The iconic Willy St Fair Parade starts at 11:00 am. Come and enjoy the fair and learn about Open Doors' initiatives, Welcoming Week, and the refugee situation in and around Madison.
For more information about the fair, please visit: http://www.cwd.org/willy-street-fair/
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Welcoming Week: Citizenship / Naturalization Ceremony
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Threshold*, 2717 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI, 53704
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Forty new Americans will become citizens at this Citizenship / Naturalization ceremony, the first in Madison in several years. Because of space limitations, we regret that this event is not open to the general public.
* Please note that this event was previously planned to be held at Olin Park. The need for Federal security agents to be able to access the park shelter during non-park hours required that it be moved to the (smaller) Threshold building on Atwood.
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Welcoming Week: Free Family Night and Kids for Peace Celebration at the Madison Children’s Museum
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Madison Children's Museum
100 N Hamilton St (on the Square), Madison
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Welcoming Week: The Memory Project: Faces of Joy - Opening Reception
Thursday, September 21, 2017
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Nancy Nichols Hall (on U.W. Campus)
1300 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706
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Welcoming Week: Soccer Fest
Saturday, September 23, 2017
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Warner Park (Northport Dr & N Sherman Ave), Madison
Field 4 (West of Community Center, near Troy Dr and Foster Dr)
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This "pick-up" round-robin tournament features teams of 5x5 players, with a focus on teams which have a number of players from other countries. Teams are encouraged to bring balls and jerseys. Water will be provided.
Click here to pre-register for the event. You can register as a team of five or as individuals and we will help place you onto a team.
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Welcoming Week: Screening of 8 Borders, 8 Days, with film director Amanda Bailly
Sunday, September 24, 2017
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, Room L-160
800 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706
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This is a first-time Madison screening of “8 Borders, 8 Days” with post-film discussion with the director, Amanda Bailly. A fierce single mother of two from Syria decides risking their lives in a raft is safer than staying behind on land. This film is an immersive experience of their eight-day journey to safety.
It will be shown in room L-160 of the Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, starting promptly at 3:00. This is free event, reservations are not required, and although the room is large, space is limited. Please come early to ensure a seat.
For more information about the film, please visit: http://8borders8days.com/
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Backpacks and School Supplies for Kids
Last weekend several Open Doors volunteers distributed backpacks each filled with school supplies and a $25 Target gift card to 57 school age children of refugee families. The backpacks and school supplies were graciously donated by Sky Zone Trampoline Park Madison and Wagon Drive of Madison - thank you so much - while the gift certificates were purchased with Open Doors operating funds.
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Seeking a Volunteer Coordinator
Jessica, our long time Volunteer Coordinator, has moved to another role in Open Doors, and we're looking for a new Volunteer Coordinator. The position largely involves responding to volunteer inquiries, trying to match a person's interests, skills and availability with the opportunities at hand, supporting other team leaders, and overseeing volunteer background checks - ensuring that all volunteers who have direct contact with refugees have been verified by our agent. All together it takes perhaps 2-5 hours per week. Because of this critical role, you would also be invited to optionally join the Leadership Team, which takes another 3-5 hours every two weeks. If you're interested in taking this on, please email OpenDoorsVolunteers@gmail.com.
And thank you Jessica for your generous dedication and fine service in this capacity.
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Cultural Companions Program
We continue to develop the Cultural Companions Program, which will match interested local "families" (of all persuasions) with interested newcomer families for cultural, social and educational exchange / endeavors. We are finalizing the Handbook and developing training, protocols and guidelines, with an eye towards rolling out the program around November 1. If your're interested in joining Cultural Companions, please send an email to CulturalCompanions.odfr@gmail.com
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Houseware and Furniture Needs
Refugee families continue to come into the States and Madison area, though in lower numbers at present. Still, in order to set up apartments for arriving families, we are low on and need the following items:
Housewares
Twin and double mattress pads (sorry, no used mattresses)
Vacuum cleaners
Silverware drawer dividers
Dish drain racks small enough to fit into sink
Brooms/mops/dust pans
Clock radios
13 Gallon plastic waste containers
Smaller plastic waste containers for bathrooms
Entry rugs and boot trays
Digital TV antennas (rabbit ears to get local stations without cable)
Furniture
Lamps (floor, table, desk and bedside)
Dining chair sets for our tables lacking chairs (will not refuse tables with chairs)
Bedside stands
Sofas (usually less than 84", no futons or sofa/beds)
Living room chairs and love seats (no heavy recliners, please)
End tables
We ask that all donations be in good or better condition, and a cell phone picture is always welcome. For more information (questions, suggestions, needs for drop off locations or pick up, or desires for tax receipts) please email OpenDoorsDonations@gmail.com or call (608) 242-9602. Thank you so much!
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Phone (Arabic & English)
(608) 609-3080
Mailing Address
Open Doors for Refugees
1213 N Sherman Ave # 104
Madison, WI 53704
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