We welcome you to our NEAAO community and the first edition of our newsletter.

The year 2020 has presented many challenges for all of us. As individuals, we find that our lives --and our very lifestyles--have changed because we can not gather to learn, share news and celebrate as a group. At NEAAO, we have had to learn new ways to be a strong support, especially to our newest neighbors. We have all had to grow in unexpected ways; some of us by gaining new skills with technology and others by learning about PPE, social distancing and the difference between quarantine and isolation. Many of us have discovered just how much we need each other, and look forward to the coming year and its promise of new opportunities to meet in person--and to hug our friends again (as we love to do in the Arab community!). Until that time, NEAAO invites you to reach out to us. We can still walk together through these interesting times, continue our connections and remain hopeful for 2021.