easons Greetings.

It’s that time of the year once

again when we reflect on the

blessings we have received and

t h e t h i n g s w e h a v e

accomplished.

W e h a v e m a n y

accomplishments to recount

from this past year. We

ce lebrated 30 years of

welcoming refugees to our

community, continuing to live

out the dream of Roberta

Douglas, our founder, to

provide hope and assurance for

a better future to displaced

people. With Mike Patrei and

Rick Short we co-founded

UNSPOKEN, a human rights

film festival and integration

c o n f e r e n c e . W h i l e w e

FACT SHEET*

experienced the loss of a

number of friends throughout

the year, we celebrated the

births and marriages of many,

especially among our colleagues

at the Center.

We were blessed with

356 new neighbors, refugees

who have been displaced by

war or conflict and who’s

greatest hope is to find a place

where they can be welcomed,

feel safe, and provide for their

families. We have been blessed

by a community that continues

to open its arms and welcome

our new neighbors in spite of

the tough economic times in

which we live. We have been

blessed with hundreds of

volunteers who made our lives

and the lives of our new

neighbors that much easier

with their dedication and hard

work.

As we look to the

coming year, our thoughts are

with those displaced around

the world who have little hope

of returning to their home and

little hope for a future without

the fear of war and conflict. It

is for these troubled individuals

for whom we say a prayer and

for those who have found their

way to our home, we give

thanks and say, 'Welcome!'

Peter D. Vogelaar

Executive Director

Dec 2011 Vol. 3

Inside this

issue:

2

3

4

5

5

6

What is a Refugee?

The United Nations 1951 Convention

defines a Refugee as a person who is

unable or unwilling to return to the

home country because of a well-founded

fear of persecution due to race,

membership in a particular social group,

political opinion, religion, or nationality.

How many Refugees

are in Utica?

13,973 refugees have been

resettled in Utica through our

Agency from 1973 to present.

Each year our

President and the

Congress determine

the numerical ceiling

f o r r e f u g e e s

admissions. From the

total number, they

decide limits for each

region of the world.

How many

Refugees are there?

There are 15.4 million

refugees worldwide. 27.5

m i l l i o n i n t e r n a l l y

displaced, and 840,000

people waiting to be

given refugee status.*

80% are women and

children.

What do refugees receive

when they arrive?

The Reception and Placement

Program administrated by the Dept.

of State includes a one-time per

capita grant for the initial weeks after

arrival. This grant is spent on first

month’s rent, security deposit,

furniture, household goods, food,

etc.

*Sources: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/ www.lirs.org www.mvrcr.org www.refugees.org

www.refugeesinternational.org www.rescue.org www.state.gov www.unhcr.org

What does our

Refugee Center

provide?

We assist refugees in learning

English, adjusting to the local

customs, finding housing,

employment, medical care,

enrolling children in school,

and becoming citizens to

enable them to transition into

economic self-sufficiency and

independency.

Achievem

ents

MV

RC

R Staff

Vo

lun

teers’

Co

rn

er

20

11 D

ono

rs

A D

ay in

the

Life o

f a

Vo

lun

teer

20

11 Events

Mosaic The

S

P A G E 2

MVRCR 2011 ACHIEVEMENTS

As a result of hard work and efforts of our

employees, volunteers, and partners in

reaching our goals, we made improvements in

our programs, which led to emblematic

achievements. Our 2011 accomplishments

include:

Reception and Placement

Resettlement:

Resettling 356 refugees from

7 different countries. Mostly

from Burma and Bhutan;

Case Management:

Handling an average of 25

cases per day;

Housing:

Securing good and affordable housing for

incoming arrivals;

Community Integration

Employment:

Achieving 395 job placements;

Offering Pre-Employment Orientation to all

new arrivals eligible to work and Job

Orientation for those clients who started

working;

Citizenship & Immigration:

Processing 301 Green Cards and 15 Visa

Petitions;

Submitting 335 citizenship applications with

more than 90% passing the interview;

Attending 8 citizenship ceremonies;

Offering Citizenship classes twice a week. 530

clients enrolled in class;

Special Programs:

Training Program:

Developing an enhanced Cultural

Orientation Training Program, including

traffic safety. Nearly all new adult arrivals

have attended some of these trainings;

Continuing to collaborate with local

health care clinics to expand health

education;

Volunteer Program:

Working with volunteers an average

of 500 hours per month to assist our

clients’ needs. 116 volunteer applications

were filled out this year;

Multi-Ethnic Association of Burma

(MEAB):

Providing Enhanced Cultural Orientation

sessions to the Burmese community. 8

workshops were provided from Oct. 2010 -

Oct. 2011 with focus on tax preparation,

community programs, citizenship issues,

immigration laws, and fire prevention;

Offering Health Promotion Workshops;

Offering training in partnership with MVCC

with a focus on Employment Services;

Micro-Enterprise Project:

Developing the Weaving Micro-

Enterprise Project helping to

maintain some of the clients’

traditions while giving them a

chance to earn some supplemental

income;

Developing a museum

exhibition with other crafters from

New York and Pennsylvania;

Family Peace Project:

Training the criminal justice community on

culture gender norms, barriers to access of

services, and language support services;

Educating ethnic communities with Human

Rights, providing YWCA Domestic and Special

Violence information;

Translating YWCA brochures in many different

languages;

Raising awareness on forced marriage in the

United States;

IT classes:

Offering computer classes four days a week.

Currently, 50 people attend our IT classes;

Education

Working in partnership with the Utica City

School District to develop and test a new

curriculum;

Collaborating with Hamilton and Utica

Colleges, bringing tutors into our ESL classes;

Continuing a partnership with MVCC to

provide special courses and classes to our

clients;

Working with BOCES to provide ESL classes to

over 100 clients in the Rome and Utica area.

Compass Interpreters:

Certifying interpreters by Bridging The Gap for

Medical Interpretation;

Training interpreters in Domestic and Sexual

Violence Interpretation;

Translating documents, handbooks, etc;

Continuing to offer 24/7 services;

Offering 36 different languages;

Unspoken:

Co-founding the first annual Human Rights

forum, which combines film, art, music, and

conferences in the Utica area.

Weaving Micro-Enterprise Project

Cultural Orientation:

Traffic Safety

P A G E 3

Community Integration

Finance and Administration

Part-Time Employees

Donna R., Eh Hser, Ellie J., Keith R., Pauline G., Richard R,

COMPASS Interpreters

Abdelshakou Jean S.

Ahmad H.

Lisanne D.

Paul K. Heather T.

Tatiana N.

Tatjana K,

Kaung Kaung Pavel B.

Reception and Placement

Compass Interpreters

Bu Bu

Kpaw Lay

Jack F.

Tha Dah

Daniel C. Chint Chint

Kyi Kyi Min

Jeffrey C.

Peter V.

Rebecca L.

John F.

Candy P.

Shana P.

Tabetha S.

Azira T

Saw Svetlana D.

Kler Eh Soe

11

years

7

years

12

years

3

years

5

years

4

years

4

years

13

years

8

years

2

years

5

years

2

years

Zaw Win

6

years

Sarkatray M.

4

years

21

years

Ram

1

year

Dzevad R.

14

years 4

years

4

years

4

years

4

years

3

years

3

years

2

years

5

years

3

years

3

years

4

years

Hasan G.

Shelly C.

Debra J.

Sundee F.

3

years

5

years

5

years

7

years

9

years

4

years

1

year

6

years

MVRCR STAFF

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to overcome our challenges

and reach our goals! We would like to express our appreciation for their kindness

and contributions. Their assistance means a lot to the MVRCR and our community.

Thanks to them, many happy ending stories are coming true!

MVRCR 2011 DONORS*

Adirondack Bank

Allstate Giving Campaign

AmeriCu

Auxiliary Services of MVCC

Bagel Grove

Bank of Utica Foundation

Barnes & Noble

Barone, Howard & Co. CPA’s

BGM Supply

Biogenic Dental Laboratories

Black River Systems

BNY Mellon

C. Lewis Tomaselli Architects

Colgate University

CRM Rental Management

DM Jones - Hanger Orthopedics

DeIorios Frozen Dough Products

ECHO - Employees Charity Org

Excellus Health Plan

Francis Bellamy Elementary

School

Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy Insurance

Hamilton College

Hubbard Tool & Die Corp.

Hubbell Galvanizing

Human Technologies Corp.

Hummel’s Office Plus

IMEX

Indium Corporation of America

K-Squared

Keymark, Inc.

MV Chamber of Commerce

MV Community College

MV Latino Association

Moore & Hart, CPA’s

Munson-Williams Proctor Arts

Institute

Neighbors Network

New York Folklore Society

Peters Glass Co. Inc.

Quadsimia Internet Presence

Professionals

Redeemer Church

Revere Copper Products, Inc.

Scalzo Zogby & Wittig

SEFA for the Greater Utica Area

Sisters of St. Josephs

St. Elizabeth Medical Center

St. Joseph & St. Patrick Church

Sturges Manufacturing Co.

Symeons Restaurant

Tabernacle Baptist Church

The Fountainhead Group Inc.

The Matt Law Firm PLLC

Tramontane Cafe

United Way of Greater Utica Area

Upper Mohawk Valley

Upstate New York Synod

Uptown Theatre

Utica College

Wal-Mart Distribution Center

Womens Guild of the Federated

Workforce Investment Board

A. Todd Franklin

Alane Varga

Alice Savino

Andrew LaLonde

Anita Mohr

Ann Falvey

Brenda Marris

Candace Paris

Chelsea Yourdon

David Struz

Ellen Kraly

Felicia McMahon

Francis X. Matt, III

Jake Herrle

James Crossman

James Franco

Jeffrey Pliskin

Dr. Jehangir Kotwal MD

Jennifer Boulanger

Jennifer Hale

John Nicoletta

John Howard

John Humphrey

John Bolton Jr.

Keith Reynor

Kurt Ellis

Lawrence Gilley

Lisa Worden

Lynne Williamson

Mason Somerville

Matt Family

Michelle Brandstadt

Naseem Qazi

Nedzad Kajtezovic

Paul Drobin

Dr. Paul Ohlbaum

Peter Michel

Reed Coughlan

Reverend Joseph Salerno

Richard Carlson

Robert & Carol Keller

Robert Manning

Robert Dicks Jr.

Robert Fitzgibbon

Sabiha Isanovic

Stephen Havlovic

Stephen Lockwood

Sylvia DeSwaan

Vogelaar Family

* Disclaimer: This list does not represent a complete list of all donations to MVRCR during 2011. Some names were combined as part of a group, for

example, under United Way, or may have been accidentally omitted. We are very grateful to all donors!

The need is real. If you want to be part of this list, your contribution would make a

difference in many lives. Check our website for further information on donations:

www.mvrcr.org or call (315)738-1083.

P A G E 4

Despite our clients’

great cultural diversity, they

have all undergone significant

challenges and have been

given the opportunity for a

new start. The mission of our

program is to assist them to

succeed in life and achieve

independence. Volunteer

work can be challenging and

involves commitment and

responsibility. On the other

hand, it brings great rewards.

If you want to work

with people from all over the

world, if you want to have a

positive affect on our

community or if you want to

work to improve outcomes,

join us!

Volunteer opportunities

include:

Tutor/Mentor

Guest Speaker

Office Assistant

Transportation

Assistance

Cultural Competence

Trainer

Application Assistance

Apartment Setup

Get involved with special

events such as World Refugee

Day (June), the International

Mile (July), and UNSPOKEN/

Passport to the World (Oct.).

For many of our new

neighbors, it is the first time they have

ever encountered traffic signs,

supermarkets, vacuums and heaters.

Going to the dentist or visiting a

primary care physician can be as

complicated as most of us imagine. How do

you teach that to someone? And, who teaches

them?

Fortunately, Utica is full of great people

like Beth Martin, who takes

respons ibi l i ty and squeezes

volunteer work into her schedule.

Martin says she has elderly parents

and a teenage son who always need

her help. And, her willingness to

help does not just stay confined to

her own family. She says one day she was

looking around our town and she realized there

were many other families in need, too.

“When I first started volunteering, my

day would start early taking many refugees to

doctor’s appointments. We would get through

the appointments then have to figure out their

prescriptions. If it was an emergency before

medical benefits kicked in, we would have to

arrange prescriptions through

community-based programs that

help pay.”

“Currently, on an average

day, there is a trip to a doctor

followed by a trip to the pharmacy.

We normally go shopping after all of that.

When we get back home, they ask for my help

to set up Internet connections or phone

services, as well as go through their bills and

junk mail. These things can be really confusing.

Every visit to their house includes a meal or a

cup of tea or coffee. I work mostly with the

Bhutanese community because they have few

interpreters and they are very hospitable. At the

end of my day with them, we go through

pictures of family members in other states or in

refugee camps in Nepal.”

When asked how she feels at the end of

a day after volunteering,

Martin said, “I feel like

my immediate family has

gotten bigger. And, I feel

happy that they have

somebody they can count

on.”

Volunteers’ Corner

“Be the Change You Want to See in the World” - Gandhi

What: Become a Volunteer

Contact: Svetlana Derevenets

Volunteer Coord.

svetlanad@mvrcr.org

(315)738-1083 ext.134

A day in the Life of a Volunteer - Beth Martin

P A G E 5

Thalita Bovo

ESL class assistant Marie Piayai

Mentoring

Amy Lindsey

Tutoring

Volunteer Work

Beth Martin

Beth Martin Volunteer

Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees

MVRCR

309 Genesee Street

(Park Avenue Entrance)

Utica, New York 13501

Phone: (315) 738-1083

Fax: (315) 738-1168

info@mvrcr.org

www.mvrcr.org

Find us on Facebook!

MVRCR Photo Gallery - 2011

June 20, 2011 MVRCR

July 10

Boilermaker

P A G E 6

Oct. 13-15

This Newsletter is published by the Mohawk Valley Resource

Center for Refugees. Utica, NY.

Editor: Thalita Bovo.

Collaborators: Teacher Zach Lewis and MVRCR Staff