We Can Really Help Right Here, Right Now

Want to take positive action during this worldwide refugee crisis?
     Our church social action committee is working to partner with Ascentria Care Alliance (formerly Lutheran Social Services) in their immigrant resettlement support program.  They provide services and support to empower new families in our area transition toward self-sufficiency.  They are looking for teams in area  churches willing to volunteer for 6 months to provide a Community Circle of support for a new family in the Worcester area.

What does Ascentria provide?
        To the new family: Through their national program, Services for New Americans, they provide new families with help navigating support systems and acquiring housing, furniture, clothing, English-language and literacy classes, employment training and jobs.
        To us: Volunteer training, help deciding what family is right for us, on-going consultation and support.

What are we expected to provide?
         We volunteer as a group to provide 6 months of friendship, support, and good will; we agree to find out what else the family might need, which may include things like companionship, outings, orientation to the city and culture, rides to appointments, practice with speaking, shopping, and accessing public transportation in English, and any small goods or services we can offer as volunteers.
         What we need to start this project  is a team of at least 6 church members who feel they could devote between 2 and 10 hours per week. Each of these volunteers would work directly with the family, so the agency would complete  a criminal and driving background check for them. Then other members of the church community can help with donations of goods, resources or ideas.

If you think you may have the commitment and time to be a core volunteer for 6 months for this important and timely project, watch for the after church information table during coffee hour during the month of February or contact Vivian Shortreed, Social Justice Committee chair, at vhshortreed@gmail.com.