Situation: Continuing heavy rains that began the week of Sept. 8 continue to cause severe flooding in Colorado. Seven fatalities have been reported. Additionally, 218 persons have been injured and 648 are reported missing. At this early stage 1,500 homes have been destroyed and another 17,500 are damaged, according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. The flooding along the …
Back to School Giving Led by Methodist Volunteers
September 16, 2013
One program in Denver is doing what it can to help newly resettled refugees manage the costs of sending kids to school.Refugee Outreach: CLOTHING KIDS, or ROCK, founded by Marsha Carey and her husband Chris, recently held its annual back-to-school clothing store. Seeing the need among newly arrived refugee children, this project began in 2008 under the oversight of the …
Just a Cup of Milk
Holli Carey Long |
As originally posted by Moms Encouraging Moms, 09/23/2013. http://www.momsencouragingmoms.com/just-a-cup-of-milk/ It is such a mundane thing. And really, it can sometimes border on annoying, as I’m totally on to his stall tactics. I mean, a cup of milk about 10 minutes after bed? Come on. Just a widdle biddle milk, Mom? Please? Add a pair of blinking, beautiful eyes and an …
CWS: “Tell Congress to Support Poverty Reducing Foreign Aid”
Washington, DC — Humanitarian agency Church World Service is calling people of conscience to action for a National Call-In Day on Wednesday, Sept. 18 to urge members of Congress to support hunger and poverty-focused foreign aid. Despite the fact that the foreign aid budget — a mere one percent of the entire federal budget–saves lives, the U.S. House of Representatives …
Of Hudson River Views and Refugee Resettlement
Sandra Vines |
As I look out my office window at the Hudson River with its two-way currents, flashy speedboats and lonely barges, I ponder my to-do lists, reports to send out, forms to pilot and matrixes to create. Suddenly an email comes in from a CWS affiliate colleague at Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM), and with it, some delightful photos of refugee children …
Preparing for ‘Disaster in Paradise’ – and on the Mainland
Ku'ulei Funn | September 14, 2013
Hurricane Flossie is on the way, and Hawaii residents prepare for the worst. People behave predictably. Frantic shoppers pack grocery stores, buying out every last bottle of water, canned good, and toilet paper roll. Lines of cars idle outside gas stations as stressed drivers wait to fill their tanks. This is a familiar scene every time a natural threat approaches …
A Proud Teacher and Friend
Margie Nicoara | September 13, 2013
The first weeks and months in the U.S. are usually very difficult for refugees, and I am honored to be part of a team that welcomes them and tries to make them comfortable in their new country. Working at Bridge Refugee Services in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the English Language Training Coordinator gives me a unique opportunity to tie together teaching …
No Time to Be Silent
Rev. John L. McCullough | September 9, 2013
As originally published by Huffington Post, 09/09/2013, 3:15 p.m. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-mccullough/no-time-to-be-silent_b_3880851.html This week, the 67-year-old humanitarian agency I lead signed a contract to provide humanitarian assistance to – among others – Syrians fleeing for their lives. It’s not a job any of us want. It’s also not a job we can accomplish while keeping silent. The use of chemical weapons is …
Making the Connections: Global Crisis, Local Response
Joya Colon-Berezin | September 7, 2013
Although it may seem simplistic, it can be tremendously challenging to make the connection between the global and the local. I received a reminder of this when I got a call from Fr. Anthony Sabbagh, Pastor of St. George Orthodox Church in Allentown, Pa. He is deeply concerned about the needs of the growing Syrian refugee population in his congregation. …
Together We Are Strong
Elizabeth Kakai | September 6, 2013
Teaching the skills necessary for women to gain control of their economic lives is a key tool of empowerment. In Lunkhoge, Uganda, a CWS education and microfinance program is helping women embrace the possibilities for improving their lives through entrepreneurship underwritten by small loans. The women in Lunkhoge are anxious to learn and are extremely hard-working. They are determined to …