April 23 - A Check-In Amidst Crisis
A LOCAL HERO
We would like to applaud the efforts of one of the several local heroes helping to make our world a better place, Allison McGill. Alli is one of our Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster moms. Despite having a full house at the moment - her 2 and 5 year-olds, along with college aged Dieudonne and his biological brother Esperant - Alli is volunteering her time to help those who are particularly high risk.

Alli volunteers as the Director of Care for the Table Church. With what started as a simple tweet on March 12 asking if any high risk community members needed grocery runs, was shared over 1500 times. Their volunteer efforts went from 10 volunteers to 3000 serving the DMV!
The group spearheaded by Alli and her colleague Amber, is doing grocery runs, helping acquire hard-to-find items (i.e. toilet paper), and looking for other ways to serve the city.
According to Alli, "you put something out there and it really struck a good nerve. People are feeling helpless and this is a way to help out and help them to stay at home." The program is doing contact-less delivery and helping many in the community who are older or immune-deficient. Alli says that Costco has become her "new best friend. They know me by name!"

Major applause for you Alli! You and your volunteers are truly LSS HEROES! To learn more about the Table Church initiative or to schedule for assistance check out their website.
HELPING US STAY CONNECTED
Thanks to quick responses from the donor community, LSSNCA is receiving laptop, tablet, and technology donations to keep our newly-arrived refugee and immigrant families connected and online during the health crisis.
For the newly-arrived Walayat family (pictured above) this laptop donation was a blessing for them during COVID-19:

"To be honest the laptop connected us not only with the educational institute but with the globe. In particular, with my family [back in Afghanistan]. We talk to them regularly. We also watch lectures and collect information using the laptop." - Mr. Walayat said of the donation.

Not only has the laptop allowed all eight kids a form of entertainment, but Mr. Walayat is using it to search for jobs. In Afghanistan he was a managing accountant and he would like to go back into that field.

Huge thanks goes out to donor, Marie McElroy! She says she "felt refugees may be falling under the radar right now and needed more support... The picture confirms that was where the laptop needed to be!"
IMMEDIATE VOLUNTEER & DONATION NEEDS
  • Muscle Movers - seeking individuals willing to drive a U-Haul or use their own truck to pick-up donated furnishings and drop-off at families' new apartments;
  • Virtual Mentors and Tutors
  • Supplies for Expecting Mothers
  • Backpacks and school supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.)

Interested in volunteering or donating items to newly arrived refugees in Maryland and Virginia? Fill out this Google Form. For questions or to arrange a donation drop off, please contact Shelby Kruczek, kruczeks@lssnca.org.
TAKE ACTION!
LSSNCA Advocates for Refugees Provisions in Next COVID-19 Package 

Last week LSSNCA joined more than 150 refugee resettlement, faith, and other humanitarian and human rights organizations, in a letter to Congress calling for important refugee-related provisions be included in future COVID-19-related legislation. Read the full letter here .

As Congress considers the fourth package (COVID #4), it is critical that any proposal prioritize resources for our refugee neighbors and ensure that all community members are able to mitigate risks to their vulnerability to COVID-19.
LIRS Condemns Trump Administration Executive Order on Immigration as Misguided and Un-American

Yesterday the Trump Administration passed an Executive Order suspending travel for immigrants deemed a "risk to the U.S. Labor Market during COVID-19 recovery." The order sites an "excess labor supply" as justification to limit immigration (with exceptions) over the next 60 days. The immigration halt will apply to Green Card holders currently overseas. The EO will not apply to lawful permanent residents seeking reentry, some workers including in the health care sector, spouses of U.S. citizens, SIV holders, members and family of the U.S. Armed Forces, and others deemed necessary for national security.

According to LIRS President and CEO, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, "Economically speaking, the thinking behind this order plays into the patently flawed idea that American prosperity is a zero-sum game; to the contrary, we see consistently that immigrants are essential, entrepreneurial, tax-paying, and job-creating members of society, critical to the growth and vitality of our economy." Read their full response here.

You can TAKE ACTION and urge Congress to oppose this Executive Order.
A New Home in a Country Shuttered by a Pandemic
THE NEW REPUBLIC: LSSNCA clients and Director of Outreach, Dana Lea, discuss the ways the DMV refugee community has been impacted by COVID-19 and how resettlement agencies like LSSNCA are responding to these challenges.

KAMA DC + Immigrant Food -
Virtual Wine Wednesday:
COVID-19 and Immigration
April 29, 2020 @ 6pm
KAMA DC and Immigrant Food are partnering with immigration experts to bring perspective into the impacts of COVID-19 and resulting policies on immigration issues. LSSNCA staff member, Layth Sabbagh, will be giving an opening performance on the Arabic Oud. Additionally, you can win a free bottle of wine from Immigrant Food. Tune in to the free, live event!