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Issue #25  November 15, 2018
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Lexington Refugee Assistance Program
Helping Make the World a Little Better 
 
As we all pull out our winter coats and retreat to the warmth of our houses, most of the 46 refugees we are involved with are doing okay.  All family units have at least one person working, all have stable housing for now, and most kids (22) who are in school have some tutoring. We do have a new family we are getting to know and welcome to our area. LexRAP has definitely made a commitment to the families we have become engaged with to help them for the long haul because having things stable does not mean that they are out of the woods.  Cars break down, jobs get lost, there are medical emergencies, and so on.  We all need community and these folks left their entire families and community behind and building a support system anew is particularly hard when there are language and cultural barriers.  LexRAP is just trying to reach out with helping hands that can be there when the need arises.

Perhaps it is that most of us have stories not too far in our family’s past, perhaps it is the haunting pictures of people crammed in boats fleeing across treacherous waters, perhaps it is the political climate – not just here in the US - but around the world that has become unwelcoming to people fleeing war, violence, and persecution, but the outpouring of concern that we at LexRAP see toward those in need is heartwarming.  Here is a note that came with a recent donation:

We can make the world a better place – even if that world is only as large as the community in which we live.  We can teach our children to welcome “the other”.  As we approach Thanksgiving – a time to reflect on what we are thankful for, being thankful for the community around us is a good place to start!
- Marianne

 


Next Steering Committee Meeting 
will be Monday December 10th at 7:00PM

Hancock Church on the Lexington Green
Parking is available in the lot behind the church (driveway entrance to the left of the church). Enter through the back entrance, go up the stairs, turn left. We'll be meeting in the in the Kathie Stuart Room at the end of the corridor on the left.  (Don’t worry; we’ll have directional signs posted.)

Steering meetings are open to those who are actively working on LexRAP projects or for those who are curious to understand more about what LexRAP is doing and finding a way to help.

If you are not getting the invitations to the Steering meetings and would like to get them, contact Don and let him know.


 Voices on the Green:
"Journeys to Justice" 


Marianne Boswell has been asked to share what her personal ‘journey to justice’ on why she started LexRAP as part of the next Voices on the Green at First Parish Church in Lexington.  This will take place on Friday, November 30th from 7 to 9 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 for refreshment and conversation) Tickets are available now! You can get them by clicking here, and at the door but these events have sold out. They are $20 for sponsors, $10 general admission, and $5 for students and children. There will be one intermission.

he program, “Journeys to Justice,” will consider how we learn to work for our vision of a better world for all people, through reflection, stories, and music. There will be a children’s program at the same time. Music provided by Mark David Buckles and Matt Myer, a great musical duo who perform original music and rearrangements of popular songs with art and soul.

This is an evening not to be missed, exploring what it means to be committed to doing what each of us can to build a world where justice prevails for all people.
 

 Temple Isaiah Hosts Refugee Simulation
Sunday, December 2, 2018
55 Lincoln Street, Lexington
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM in the Social Hall
  
In this program, we will undertake an initiative known as a “Refugee Simulation,” based on a program that was provided to all Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) staff at a retreat in December, 2017.
There is a refugee crisis. Currently, over 65 million people have been forced to leave their homes, resulting in the highest level of displaced persons on record. This includes 25 million refugees who seek resettlement in a new country, half of whom are under the age of 18. While the US has historically been one of the most important resettlement destinations, this is currently not the case and the numbers of refugees being resettled in the US has actually gotten dramatically smaller in the last two years.
Goals of the Refugee Simulation:
  • Challenge participants to move outside their own experience and journey in the path of a refugee.
  • Allow participants to gain a deeper understanding of the experience, the choices and struggles involved in moving from a refugee camp to into the U.S. immigration system.
  • Expand our individual and collective compassion; experience the weight of the journey and stimulate a desire for further educating ourselves and our communities.
ALL ARE WELCOME (high school students and older)
RSVPs requested, CLICK HERE
 



 
LexFUN! is Lexington’s network for families with children aged five and under. Founded in 1942, LexFUN! is one of the largest volunteer-run parent organizations in Massachusetts whose mission is to enrich the lives of families with young children in and around Lexington by connecting them to social, educational and community events and activities, including civic activities in town.  This holiday season LexFUN! will be partnering with LexRAP to provide gift cards from Target for the kids of our refugee families.
Contact Tuna for more information


 


New Activities & Opportunities to Help


The rules around applying for asylum in the United States have changed and the wait to get asylum keeps getting longer. This problem exists here in New England – not just at our Southern border.  All of this translates into people who are seeking asylum needing financial help and housing.  LexRAP families have opened their homes to individuals and LexRAP has provided financial support for these folks until they can legally work.  If you have an extra room and can provide housing for an asylee we will first introduce you to someone who has hosted an asylee and explain the process. If interested in exploring this much needed and wonderful way to help, please contact Bruce. 
 

Please Consider Donating to our Family Reunification Fund
We are raising money to help the refugees we are involved with be re-united with their families.  There are many needs in this area.  We have people who have become US citizens or received their Green Cards who feel it is finally safe to travel to their country of origin and perhaps for the first time let their children meet grandparents and other relatives.  Other folks are waiting for the US government to allow their immediate family into the US and the cost of their travel to the US will be expensive.  And for still others, the only way to see their family is to meet in a neutral country since they can’t return to their country of origin - the cost of travel and staying in that country is beyond their means.  For all these reasons, we have started a Family Reunification Fund to be used to help these families with the burden of these expenses. We have already purchased plane tickets for two trips to Jordan and Iraq. One was for a mother to see her husband and long-separated children, the other for a family medical emergency.
If you would like to donate to this fund, please CLICK HERE. Put the fund name on your check or along with the on-line donation.




Still looking for Laptops!! Give your used laptop a new home  
LexRAP has an on-going drive to collect laptops to provide to children and adults.
A laptop is lifeline for many of the LexRAP families -- and particularly children.  It’s a way to search for services or a job, communicate with teachers, prepare for citizenship exams, complete school assignments practice English, or stay in touch with friends and family.  Some of LexRAP’s families with children qualify for internet access for $10/month, but they need devices!
 
 Beyond the families we are directly supporting, we give laptops to students in families that resettlement agencies are working with.                                                      
  • Is your high school senior is going off to college with a new Mac? -- consider donating the old one.  
  • Maybe you have an unused laptop taking up space? Consider donating it!
  • Does your company retire laptops after a few years of use?
  • Would your church or synagogue or school like to organize a laptop drive (similar to a coat drive) next Fall? You can contact Peggy  or contact Peter.

The description of units that we can refurbish and use is on our Website (scroll down). Make sure to tape passwords to the laptop so we can access and wipe information. You can  contact Peggy for dropoff locations.

 

 
More Tutors and Social Workers!   We have had the extraordinary luck to have experienced teachers as tutors and this has worked very well.  We appoint a social worker as the lead and that person stays in touch with the school and coordinates as well as helps the family navigate communication with the school. We have found that the needs for the children with disrupted education are less about spoken language than basic education and also that vocabulary and reading are essential needs to help the children catch up – which the children do rapidly. Contact Elizabeth.


Support from Community Organizations 

We are interested in talking with organizations such as churches, synagogues, and community groups that are interested in making an annual commitment to having an event for the community and for LexRAP. Examples of support are the Church of Our Redeemer donating proceeds from their pancake breakfast, the Lexington Newcomers Club volunteering with monthly ESL lunches in Lowell, and First Parish Lexington donating one of their weekly offertories to LexRAP.
Contact Marianne

 
Monthly Lunch with the ESL at IINE in Lowell
 
LexRAP funds this hugely successful monthly initiative.  People make, bring, and then share a homemade lunch to the ESL class at IINE in Lowell, sharing lunch and conversation with the ESL learners. Called, “Building Bridges One Meal at a Time.” Babs tells us that the program is at FULL STEAM AHEAD.  You can sign up NOW. This is a great way to dip your toe into LexRAP.  Contact Babs for more info.



More Ways to Help


Providing a home for an unaccompanied refugee minor. 


Do you have room in your heart and space in your home to become a foster parent to an unaccompanied minor? These children tend to be teens and are resilient. If you become a foster parent to a refugee minor, LexRAP will put a network of support together to help.
Contact Bruce  to learn more about this program.

 

LexRAP's Sustained Giving Initiative
LexRAP's Sustained Giving Initiative is now live and we have had several people sign up to be Sustaining Givers. Individuals can now go online at our website and give a little or a lot automatically every month. You can find our postal address if you are using a check, or  our Paypal link if you prefer to make your donation online. Please indicate that you’re responding to our appeal for BACK TO SCHOOL funds .


 

LexRAP OUTREACH!


LexRAP also welcomes the opportunity to do presentations at churches, temples, senior citizen communities, and other organizations. We welcome suggestions and invitations to present. We typically provide a 20-minute PowerPoint introduction with Q&A to help educate and engage people around refugee issues and to discuss what LexRAP is doing to assist asylum seekers and refugee families locally. Please contact Tom if you would like us to visit your group or congregation.




Events and contact info for agencies
 

Household Goods Provides a full range of donated furniture and household items, free of charge, to help people in need make a home. Staffed by volunteers, depends on the generosity of community members for goods, time and financial support. Please support us so that together we can continue to help people make a home during their time of greatest need. Here’s how you can help.

International Institute of New England (IINE) Resettles refugees in Lowell, Manchester and elsewhere in N.E. and offers on-going services such as ESL and support. A lot going on!  Suitcase Stories, Annual Gala and more https://iine.org/events.



Catholic Charities has been providing services to refugees for more than 100 years. https://catholiccharitiesusa.org/efforts/immigration-refugee-services
 

Ascentria resettles refugees and is the only agency that resettles unaccompanied minors in New England. https://www.ascentria.org/
 

NuDaySyria focuses on women and children and brings humanitarian aid inside Syria and to displaced Syrians in the bordering areas around Syria. http://www.nudaysyria.net/home.html 


Refugee Immigration Ministry (RIM)  One of the few organizations to provide support to asylum seekers.  Volunteer opportunities for mentors and ESL teachers.  www.r-i-m.net

A local group has begun raising money to pay for a family to be sponsored for emigration to Canada. LexRAP is focusing on helping the mother and children who are currently here and were just granted asylum. This is the family we are hoping will soon move from a shelter to an apartment. If you can donate money or wish to get more involved follow this link.


 

 
 

 

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LexRAP · 10 Grant Place · Lexington, MA 02420 · USA

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