{"id":815,"date":"2016-11-04T12:37:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T16:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/?page_id=815"},"modified":"2018-07-22T13:35:40","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T17:35:40","slug":"local","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/whatwearedoing\/local\/","title":{"rendered":"Mid-Hudson Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">By reaching out to local faith-based groups, and civic organizations and local colleges we created an organizational network to help resettle and welcome forcibly displaced people in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Towards this end, we initiated the formation of&nbsp;the Mid-Hudson Refugee Solidarity Alliance&nbsp;and started&nbsp;several projects to engage with the local community.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Mid-Hudson Refugee Solidarity Alliance (MHRSA)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/midhudsonalliance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Mid-Hudson<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Refugee Solidarity<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Alliance<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">&nbsp;is<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">a unique alliance of local faith-based organizations, institutions of higher learning, social services agencies, NGOs, and local interfaith councils. The Alliance is committed to making our community a welcoming and safe place for those who are forcibly displaced.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">In Spring 2016, Vassar Refugee Solidarity and MHRSA have worked closely with Church World Services (a refugee resettlement agency) to convince the U.S. State Department to open a resettlement office in Poughkeepsie.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">This application was approved in October 2016, and<\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/01\/31\/nyregion\/refugees-congolese-family-hudson-valley.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">we welcomed<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">a family from the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">&nbsp;to the Mid-Hudson Valley in early February 2017.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D<span style=\"color: #000000\">ue to the new administration\u2019s<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">policies that limit<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"> the arrival of refugees, we have<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">focused our energies on working with those who are forcibly displaced in our local community, reaching out to Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, and assisting refugee families in Albany and Schenectady.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">Vassar students took leadership in collecting, storing, and distributing furniture, household goods and other items for arriving refugee families and families with similar needs in the local community.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">VRS organized the resettlement of an Egyptian family together with Vassar Temple,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Masjid Al-Noor, and Christ Episcopal Church.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">This resettlement was accomplished<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">solely by local volunteers with the key help of VRS and Posse veteran Patrick DeYoung \u201818. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Vassar Refugee Solidarity\u2019s Resettlement (led by our Posse veteran Patrick DeYoung \u201818), Vassar Temple, and Masjid Al-Noor<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">also coordinated a large-scale donation drive for 47 Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghan refugee families.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Vassar Temple gave $3,000 in gift cards, Masjid Al-Noor donated thousands of dollars to deliver&nbsp;air conditioners,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">freezers, fridges, televisions, pedestal fans, meat grinders (so the women can start street food businesses), sewing machines, bus tickets, backpacks, baby strollers, baby car seats, and cribs as well as additional gift cards for food, and clothing. A member of Vassar Temple also donated a used car. VRS\u2019s Patrick DeYoung \u201818 and representatives<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">from the mosque also organized a caravan and delivered many smaller items in person, including 14 used laptops and desktop computers made available by Vassar College.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">Most recently, donations from the Mid-Hudson Refugee Solidarity\u2019s Welcome Fund made it possible to provide $10,000 to the Islamic Community Center in Schenectady for purchasing a large used van to transport refugee families. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;color: #000000\"><strong>Albany Community and School Fundraising Project<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">Since January 2017, over 44 families from Syria and Iraq have resettled in Albany and surrounding communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Arrival<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">Each of these displaced families has endured a rigorous two-year screening process by the US government prior to their arrival.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The State Department prioritizes families with children, and these recently<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">arrived families include nearly&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><b>200 young and school-age children.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #000000\">Many of these families arrived in the last 6-8 months and possess limited English language skills.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Education<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">The Annur Islamic School in Schenectady, NY is raising tuition funds to support the enrollment of recently resettled children as well as provide them with basic educational supplies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Action<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NY4Syrians\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">New York<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">For Syrian Refugees<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #000000\">is a volunteer group based in Albany helping newly arrived Syrian refugee families with essential needs, including assistance with housing, education, and employment.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>What You Can Do<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Contribute to the<\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2foy9G7\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Mid-Hudson<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">Refugee Welcome Fund<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">&nbsp;at the Community Funds<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">of the Hudson Valley.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">The fund is administered by the Mid-Hudson Refugee Solidarity Alliance and goes to providing the families resettled in the Hudson Valley with housing and educational support during their integration into the community.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Contribute<\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"https:\/\/annurislamicschool.org\/donate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">directly to<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">the Annur Islamic School<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #000000\">in Schenectady, NY.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">For more information on the alliance or how you can get involved in these efforts, please visit the<\/span>&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"color: #000000\" href=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/midhudsonalliance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">MHRSA<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000\">website<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong> Community Engagement<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">Vassar Refugee Solidarity is working with Lisa Kaul in&nbsp;the newly created Office of Community Engaged-Learning at Vassar and our local partners to institute projects that&nbsp;engage Vassar students with forcibly displaced individuals in the local community.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><em><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">Our Stories, Our Selves<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #000000\">This project collects oral histories from&nbsp;members&nbsp;of the Mid-Hudson Valley community in an effort to highlight that most have come from elsewhere to make this community their own.&nbsp;We will be reaching out to high schools and senior citizen homes to expand&nbsp;this collection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By reaching out to local faith-based groups, and civic organizations and local colleges we created an organizational network to help resettle and welcome forcibly displaced people in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Towards this end, we initiated the formation of&nbsp;the Mid-Hudson Refugee &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/whatwearedoing\/local\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5113,"featured_media":0,"parent":832,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-815","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1464,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/815\/revisions\/1464"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vcsolidarity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}