Client Story
The Walid family, from China, came to a Just Neighbors community clinic back in May. The family is Uyghur, an ethnic group living throughout Asia that has long been persecuted. (Coincidentally, the volunteer conducting the intake for us was from Mongolia, a nation which also has a significant Uyghur population). Mr. Walid fled China as an asylee nearly five years ago and received asylum in the United States.
He had been arrested for "political dissidence" there. Mr. Walid was able to receive his green card, but his wife and three children who had managed to join him here did not have permanent resident status. The family was daunted by the $1,010 fee that each derivative asylee would have to pay for their application. Earning less than $30,000 as a family of five, it would be nearly impossible for the family to save over $4,000 for these applications.
Imagine the relief Mr. Walid and his family felt when we informed them that we could submit a fee waiver with their application, meaning the only fees they would be responsible for would be their medicals. Moreover, because they lived in Falls Church, we could request that the Falls Church Community Service Council pay their medical fees of $340 so that they could receive the required immunizations as part of the application.
The Falls Church group paid for the family's medicals, and we submitted the green card applications in the early fall, with no fees required. In November, the green cards were approved! Before Thanksgiving, we received the following card from the Walid family:
All Members of Just Neighbors,
My family and I would like to thank you for all of your help. We greatly appreciate all that you did. I would also like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Best wishes and warmest regards.
The three children will now be eligible for in-state tuition in Virginia and, of course, are free to be "political dissidents" here.
Volunteer of the Month
We would like to honor Cammy Crane as our volunteer of the month. Cammy works at Doorways for Women Families (see article below), and approached us in August to gain additional experience working with the low-income population. She is extremely warm and friendly, and also efficient and organized. With this combination of attributes, we have been able to entrust Cammy with a wide range of work, including intake interviews and U Visa casework for domestic violence clients. And, like so many of our volunteers, she speaks Spanish and can therefore assist with the many phone intakes we receive daily. Thank you Cammy!
Immigrant-Serving Organizations in the DC Area
The Urban Institute recently published a report on nonprofit organizations in the Metro DC area serving immigrants. The report, which can be read here, identified 533 such immigrant- serving organizations. The study gathered data from all of these groups and surveyed 34 of them, including Just Neighbors. Among other things, the report shows that the immigrant population in Northern Virginia continues to increase while the concentration of immigrant-serving organizations here remains relatively low.
Around the Office
Grace, Robert, and Rob
This month, Just Neighbors welcomed the newest member of our family. Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown and wife Grace had a baby boy, bringing him home on Christmas Day.
Just Neighbors is honored to receive funding from the Arlington Interfaith Council for a collaborative partnership with Doorways for Women and Families to assist clients who have experienced domestic violence. Doorways helps with a range of immediate social service and housing needs of the clients and refers them to Just Neighbors for assistance with their U visa applications to Immigration, which enable them to attain work authorization and long-term stability in this country. This grant will enable us to conduct more of these U visa cases in Arlington, as we are seeing a huge increase in need for these services.
We received word about three additional grants Just Neighbors will receive in 2010. The Giving Circle of HOPE will fund a community clinic in early 2010. The funding will allow us to meet with 8-10 new clients, along with the help of a dozen volunteers, and to handle the cases of those clients throughout the year. The Closet of Greater Herndon will support our work in the coming year for clients living in the Herndon community. Also, the Arlington Community Foundation will once again support Just Neighbors' work in Arlington County.
Just Neighbors is excited to be featured as part of WAMU's Community Minute PSA series in January. WAMU (88.5 FM) is the leading public radio station for NPR news in the DC area. The Public Service Announcement, which will highlight Just Neighbors' work with immigrants in the area, will air 1-2 times per day throughout January. The Community Minute provides information about local organizations that are making a difference in the community.
It's not too late to make your 2009 tax-deductible donation to Just Neighbors at www.justneighbors.org or HERE. We appreciate your support!
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