American Province Ministry Connections

November 2022

Casa Cornelia Law Center

Carmen M. Chavez, Esq. - Executive Director

http://www.casacornelia.org/

Turning fear into hope for Afghan asylum seekers

In August 2021, the U.S. Military withdrew from Afghanistan and evacuated nearly 76,000 Afghan nationals to the United States. The U.S. government resettled this population across U.S. cities and granted them two-year humanitarian parole. This means that they can remain in the U.S. for two years and are able to obtain benefits designated for refugee resettlement assistance.

However, humanitarian parole does not grant them a permanent stay in the country, nor a path to citizenship. Should these individuals and families choose to remain in the U.S., they must apply and secure asylum or another permanent status. An overwhelming majority of these individuals and families will choose to stay in the U.S. rather than return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where they will surely face persecution. As such, anyone desiring to stay in the U.S. must submit an asylum petition within two years.

The staff and volunteers at Casa Cornelia Law Center have been working tirelessly to help as many Afghans as possible. The Law Center continues to recruit more volunteer attorneys, interpreters, and translators to assist with both the volume of cases and language barriers.

As of October 2022, Casa Cornelia has assisted approximately 150 single adults, unaccompanied Afghan children, and family groups who evacuated from Afghanistan. Just this past month, we received news that one of our clients -- a teenage boy who arrived in the United States without any family members to accompany him was granted asylum. We are hopeful that many more will realize a similar outcome in the coming months.

*Photograph has been changed to protect client confidentiality.

Providence Center

Siria Ana Rivera - Executive Director

http://www.providencecentershcj.org/

Each year, Providence Center supports the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) initiative in Philadelphia, Pa., to encourage our community members to register to vote and make their voices heard on Election Day. In addition to offering ongoing assistance to community members with completing or updating their voter registration status, the Center hosts GOTV events. Most recently, Providence Center had the pleasure of hosting the American Federation of Teachers and the Federation's Executive Vice President, Evelyn DeJesus. During the visit, a robust conversation focused on advocacy for Philadelphia's Fairhill and surrounding communities, sponsored by our national nonpartisan partners at UnidosUS. Much to our delight, our council members Maria Quiñones Sánchez and Representative Danilo Burgos joined us to welcome Mrs. DeJesus to Fairhill and engage with our families. Together, we distributed more than 100 books and 100 backpacks to local families.

At Providence Center, we empower our students to advocate for themselves as they develop into young leaders. We know it is important that they see us model this work as well.

South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (SC LAMP)

Diana Pinto - Executive Director

http://www.southcentrallamp.org/

Did you know that children of color living in low-income households are less likely to be diagnosed with developmental delays at an early age? Why is this important? Studies show that the sooner a child gets an assessment, the more likely s/he will be able to succeed in life. Early intervention services can have an enormous impact on a young child’s ability to learn and grow.

This reality is why South Central LAMP's two-generation approach is huge for families in our community. Each child in our program receives an assessment completed by his/her teacher, allowing on-site professionals to observe if the child is developing within a "normal" range and reaching their developmental milestones. When we see a child not falling within the "normal" range, we can provide referrals and resources to specialized agencies for added support to the family.

Pictured above: A little brother welcomes his big brother back from his new school. The older brother had been diagnosed with autism and was referred to a new school. However, the boys' Mom wanted her older son to continue at South Central LAMP, so she put LAMP's address for pick up and drop off.

Because we approach this matter holistically, our parenting classes include workshops on what "normal" development looks like. The class provides parents with a safe space to reflect on their children, ask questions, and better understand their children's developmental stages. Often these classes are where moms start to seek support or learn to be more open to referrals because the discussions allow them to see other moms dealing with challenges as well.

South Central LAMP families have a "village" to help them navigate the complexities of developmental diagnoses. The support we provide has empowered many parents to make better medical decisions for their children and learn how to best support them.

Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus

Casa Cornelia Law Center * Providence Center

Co-Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus

South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (LAMP) *

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep * Hope Partnership for Education *

Cristo Rey New York High School * Washington School for Girls

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Ministry Connections is a monthly publication highlighting ministries sponsored or co-sponsored

by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.