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| No images? Click here   Refugee Flights are STILL Being Cancelled The Biden administration previously proposed and met with Congress to discuss increasing the refugee admissions goal for this year to 62,500 to meet the ever evolving refugee crisis. Now, it is vital that President Biden sign the revised refugee admissions goal for FY21 as soon as possible. Each day that passes without this signed executive action is another day that hundreds of particularly vulnerable refugees are forced to wait to be resettled. URGENT TAKE ACTION: Urge Biden Administration to Protect Refugees  Read CWS Lancaster's Response to President Biden's Initial Refugee & Immigration Actions "On his first day in office, President Joe Biden made clear that immigration reform was a priority as he signed seven executive orders directly addressing pressing refugee resettlement and immigration needs. Together, these orders protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (or "Dreamers"); end the former administration's ban on refugees and immigrants from certain predominantly Muslim countries; promise to raise the ceiling on refugee resettlement for 2021; and create a Justice Department task force to reunite families separated at the border. While President Biden has made considerable progress on many of these efforts, roughly 60 days into his administration he has yet to sign the presidential determination that would raise the refugee admission ceiling to 62,500 as promised in January. Every day this determination remains unsigned means refugees in the hardest hit places on earth see their flights to freedom canceled, while resettled refugees in Lancaster County continue to be separated from the wives, mothers, fathers and sons they've been awaiting for too long. Many commentators have characterized the administration's initial executive orders as bold moves forward, but in reality they are merely a restoration of previously existing policies affirming our national calling to provide safety and welcome for those fleeing dangerous conditions in other countries. While these initial steps from the Biden administration do give us hope, there is still a long road ahead to rebuild both the immigration system and refugee resettlement program." Read the full article HERE.  CWS Decries Rise of Anti-Asian Violence, Mourns Lives Lost in Georgia We are heartbroken and outraged by the murder of six Asian women in Georgia, and we mourn with our partners, colleagues, and the AAPI communities and clients we serve who are reeling from the increased violence they are experiencing nationwide and around the world. CWS has a long tradition of working with Thai, Burmese, Bhutanese and Chinese communities in the U.S. as well as with communities in countries across Asia. We feel these attacks with them, and with our Asian colleagues. There is no room for such hatred in a just and peaceful world. Read the full CWS statement HERE.  Refugees Are Welcome Here Meet Ruhama, Marie, Sami, Apsara and Muna. All five are refugees or asylum seekers who have participated in programs through our office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All five are using their strength to make their community a safer, healthier, more vibrant place. Each woman was nominated for recognition by CWS staff and you'll see why in the blog post below. We also asked each for their own views on what makes a strong woman, why it's important to welcome refugees and immigrants into our communities, and what they love most about life in the United States. See the full blog post to hear what they had to say!  Amazon Wishlist With the hope of welcoming new refugee, immigrant and asylum seeking individuals and families to Lancaster in the near future, we are working hard to prepare our office. You can donate directly to this cause by purchasing items from our Amazon Wishlist. At this time, we have specific needs for sanitary pads, towels, shampoo and conditioner. We also have some current client needs for ESL books and dictionaries. Click HERE to give today! All items are shipped directly to a safe location from which we can deliver directly to clients.  Lunch and Learn Webinar Series Join us for April's Lunch and Learn series! April 5th Title: Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law – When Helping Can Hurt Presenters: Christine Baer, Faith Community Organizer, CWS; Daniel LaPorte, Associate Director for Integration and Innovation, CWS Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6090457003689031180 April 12th Title: Digital Literacy During COVID-19 and Supporting Refugees to Build Skills Presenters: Tiana Gonzalez, Program Manager, US Resettlement HIAS, Ashley Allibhoy, Program Specialist IRP, CWS Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6638247990298246156 April 19th Title: Welcoming Refugee Children and Youth: The Impact of Community Engagement Presenters: Christine Lemonda- Director, Children Services- Church World Service; Adrienne Eisenmenger- Family and Youth Services Manager / Program Leader- Kentucky Refugee Ministries; TBD – Rise Up Youth Participant Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5655067991275877388 April 26th Title: Earth Day Special: Climate Change and Migration Presenters: Andrew Fuys, CWS Senior Director - Global Migration; and Jasmine Huggins, CWS Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer - Climate Justice Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8736781380630908174 Missed a past session? No worries! Check out the recordings HERE.  Meet the Team! We would like to offer you a "look behind the curtain" each month by introducing our dedicated staff to you and detailing what they do in their daily work with refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers. This month we are introducing you to Andrew Mashas! Andrew has been working as the Community and Faith-Based Engagement Specialist in our Development Program since November 2020. In this role, Andrew works closely with the Lancaster community to connect to a welcoming support network, especially upon their arrival to the United States. Andrew works with Welcome Teams who collaborate with CWS to empower a refugee family new to Lancaster by walking alongside them in intentional friendship, breaking through the cycle of isolation that oftentimes comes with being new to a community. We are so grateful to have Andrew as a part of the team. He is full of energy and passion to empower the most vulnerable among us. He always has a funny story on hand and is a wonderful father to his two kiddos, Simon and Theo. We are so grateful for the work that you do, Andrew! Reach out to Andrew to set up a donation appointment and/or to speak with him about his role in creating Welcome Teams! amashas@cwsglobal.org While you're here, would you make a recurring donation? We are looking to onboard Welcome Teams! Interested in learning more about this incredible opportunity to walk beside some of Lancaster's newest refugee arrivals? Let's be in touch! Are you thinking about planned giving or stock designation? We would be happy to talk.     |
Randall Wenger
