Helping refugees in the Washington area
It has been an honor to be part of this group and try to see what I
could possibly do for a particular group of people. I'm been extremely
inspired by your generosity and vast spirit, especially, by my daughter,
Newsha.
When I took on heading the project of supporting the Iranian refugees
in the Washington area, it was because no one else volunteered. The next
day it hit me how perfect our decision was to support this group as an
immediate project. Since we're in the holiday spirit these days, Shab e
Yalda, Ramezan, Christmas, Hanukkah, I propose call this: the Holiday Spirit
Project! Every time we do something with this project we'll be reminded
of the generosity and joyfulness of human beings!
I talked with Paul Johnson, a very active volunteer and Sonia LaFountain,
volunteer coordinator/ resource developer with IRC (International Rescue
Committee which was founded by Albert Einstein in 1933).
These are the immediate needs:
* Family mentor/ friend : someone or a family becomes their friend.
They do what friends do: Support, care and simply be there when they're
needed!
* Help with English in person or over the phone
Of course, as the IRC stated in their brochure and their website: theIRC.org
is always in need of :
- Reception and Placement Volunteers for new families
- ESL Tutors
- Drivers
- Office Operation Volunteers
- Job Coaches
- Translators/Interpreters
- Donation of furniture and other household goods
Back again to the immediate needs. Right now there are three families
with a total of seven children with ages from newborn to teens. There are
several young men, and according to Sonia, a total of around twenty Iranian
refugees in this area in need of our help! The question is, how can we
support these twenty people to the best of our ability?
These are some idea bouncing around inside my head, and I would love
to hear how you would like to help:
* Call" Khane e Iran" and ask them to invite the two families
with children (not the one with new born) to the Shab e Yalda celebration
(the price of dinner and music is $25 pp,and who will pick up the bill?
* Call the new radio program, Payam e Doost, to mobilize the Bahai
community to help out some the Bahai new arrivals!
* Invite them to our house for dinner and perhaps not talk about politics,
instead listen and provide an atmosphere of fun and lightness!
* Send this email to all my friends and ask for help even for one evening
a month.
* Ask Iranian friends with businesses in the computer field if they
have openings?
I know you are very busy. But, I also know that playing a part in supporting
these people to adjust and orient to the culture here will be of immeasurable
help to them. Each small bit of help will make such a big difference. Please
let me or Sonia know if you are willing to be of help in any way - in the
ways I have mentioned above or in ways you may think of that I haven't.
Thanks,
Mitra
Mitra Lore mitra@rockportinstitute.com
Tel: 301-424-0913
Sonia LaFountain sonia@dc.intrescom.org
Tel: 202-822-0043 ext. 19
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