Spotlight: Chase Gay, aka Mr. Cheese, Volunteer Super Star!


Chase hanging out with a refugee teen during after school tutoring

Chase hanging out with a refugee teen during after school tutoring

Chase is a native of Oklahoma and has an impressive philanthropic resume. He lived and volunteered in a refugee camp in the West Bank, volunteered at a wolf rescue organization in Durango, CO, spent over a year working with monkeys at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica and then joined Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Last summer, Chase came to Missoula to work the Tester campaign and we hit the jackpot when he offered to volunteer with us as well. Chase wasn’t planning on staying in Missoula after the November election, but he fell in love with the city and the people and we are so glad he is staying.

Chase volunteers with our Teen Team and has also made numerous trips to Helena to help families with their Green Card applications. He also comes to our office every Thursday to meet with clients, answer phones and help with whatever comes up. One of the refugees was gushing about how nice and helpful Mr. Chase is and accidentally called him Mr. Cheese instead. Now, of course, that is all we can call him. We are so grateful for you, Mr. Cheese!

March Supper Club

Join us at Masala for Soft Landing Missoula’s March 10th supper club! This month we are excited to showcase the talents of guest chef Merry Gebray from Eritrea.

The Soft Landing Missoula Supper Club aims to introduce the incredible culinary talent of Missoula’s newest neighbors and international residents, whose rich and flavorful cooking traditions provide a cultural bridge and enrich our shared community.

Merry’s meals are wonderful, packed with flavor and prepared with heart. There will also be a coffee ceremony following dinner—a daily tradition and staple of Eritrean culture!

Reserve your spot today! A heads-up: they go QUICKLY!


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Where: Masala, 206 W Main St, Missoula, MT

When: Sunday, March 10th. Doors at 5:30 pm and dinner at 6:00pm

CostEat: $40/person Give: $60/person Love: $80/person

How: To make a reservation call Masala at (406) 926- 6444

When you pay after your meal, you will have the option to: 

Eat: $40 for a delicious family style dinner, where a portion of the cost covers ingredients and staff time, and the rest goes to the guest chef. 

Give: $60 gets you the same delicious dinner, but with an additional $20 going directly to the guest chef. 

Love: $80 gives an additional $40 directly to the guest chef to collectively make this an unforgettable evening!

All levels are welcome and appreciated!

Flying Squirrel Missoula Bouncing Bucks Fundraiser!

Looking for a warm, dry place to spend some quality time having fun with family and friends? Take a break from the cold and come hang with us at Flying Squirrel Missoula for our first Bouncing Bucks Jump Night fundraiser!

On March 22, from 5-9p, 50% of your admission ticket will go to Soft Landing Missoula if you just say you’re with us!

Spread the word, bring your friends and make sure everyone mentions Soft Landing when purchasing admission tickets for us to benefit from this fun evening! We will also be there jumping with a crew of awesome kiddos!

See you there!


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Want to join the Soft Landing team? We are on the lookout for new interns!


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We are so excited to announce that we have TWO internships currently open for applications! Take a peek below at the Communications and Summer Internship descriptions for more details.

We would love for you to join our team!

 

COMMUNICATIONS INTERN

Job Description:

5-15 hours a week (negotiable)

The Communications Intern will join Soft Landing Missoula’s dynamic non-profit organization as a team player, focusing primarily on organizational communications. S/he will work in a fast-paced, interactive office environment to help SLM enhance its ability to serve a growing number of resettled refugees and continue to increase Missoula’s capacity to be a welcoming community. This position is flexible, with some of the hours based out of the Soft Landing office and occasional night and weekend hours required.

About Soft Landing Missoula:

Our vision is to help Missoula be a welcoming, supportive and informed community that can assist refugees to integrate and thrive. Soft Landing Missoula operates under Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing fiscal sponsorship.

The Communications Intern will:

  • Assist the Director of Development and Communications with communication efforts for the organization

  • Aid in the development and implementation of systems to increase SLM’s positive visibility by utilizing unique and engaging strategies tailored to a modern audience

  • Collaborate on communications such as electronic newsletters, website, social media updates, and campaigns in order to ensure high-quality, ongoing communication with supporters, volunteers and clients

  • Create content for social platforms (primarily Facebook and Instagram), using photography, videography, and storytelling

  • Help maintain a content calendar

The ideal candidate will have:

  • 2 years in a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred

  • Experience in content creation

  • Passion for storytelling

  • Work experience in a non-profit organization

  • Proven ability to establish and meet deadlines, multitask, and prioritize

  • Working knowledge of the Missoula community and resources

  • Ability to interact positively with a variety of people

  • Interest in working in a team environment

  • Passion for refugee resettlement in Missoula and beyond

  • Ability to work independently and take initiative to follow through with organizational goals

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume and two references to sophia@softlandingmissoula.org. This position is not financially compensated.


SUMMER INTERNSHIP

Job Description:

10-20 hours a week (negotiable)

The Summer Intern will join Soft Landing Missoula’s dynamic non-profit organization as a team player, focusing primarily on general support for the organization including both administrative work and direct programming. They will work in a fast-paced, interactive office environment to help SLM enhance its ability to serve a growing number of resettled refugees and continue to increase Missoula’s capacity to be a welcoming community. This position is flexible, with some off-site hours and occasional night and weekend hours required.

About Soft Landing Missoula:

Our vision is to help Missoula be a welcoming, supportive, and informed community that can assist refugees to integrate and thrive. Soft Landing Missoula operates under Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which provides fiscal sponsorship.

The Summer Intern will:

  • Interact with clients and community members who come into our community resource center

  • Assist with administrative work

  • Be involved in direct service programming

  • Help manage in-kind donations

  • Help keep an organized office

  • Assist in planning and staffing events

The ideal candidate will:

  • Have a passion for refugee resettlement in Missoula and beyond

  • Be a student in School of Social Work, Non-Profit Administration, or related field

  • Have a proven ability to establish and meet deadlines, multitask, and prioritize

  • Have a working knowledge of the Missoula community and resources

  • Have the ability to interact positively with a variety of people

  • Have the ability to work independently and take initiative to follow through with organizational goals

  • Have the ability to transport clients (preferred)

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to volunteer@softlandingmissoula.org. This position is not financially compensated.

Newsletter 2/14/19

All you need is LOVE!

As evidenced by my Beatles-themed wedding, I have always loved this line and although I still believe in this basic principle, I also now realize that a roof, food, a couple of decent pieces of clothing-and even toilet paper-sure are nice, too! I always feel lucky to have you guys, but on days like this, I especially want you to know how loved you are and how much love- and yes, all those other things including toilet paper- you have given to refugees in Missoula. Once refugees are in the US, they have freedom of movement to be anywhere they need to be.  Sometimes that means a long-awaited reconnection with relatives somewhere other than Missoula or leaving due to a specific job opportunity that comes along in another state. One thing we know though, “SPOILER ALERT”, families don’t stay because they love this bone-chilling winter weather we have been having, they stay because of LOVE. This is where you come in. This is the love you have shown by helping to drive folks to Helena to process their Green Card applications (thanks Heather and Chase!), by working on homework with kiddos (thanks Shyla and your dedicated after-school crew!), by sitting down one-on-one and painstakingly practicing vocab and grammar (thanks Clem, Jane, Susan, Kristin, Aleta, Marcia, Jennifer, and our many other English tutors), by helping us keep our office running and daily visitors assisted (thanks Andi, Bonnie, Lee, Julie, Cathryn, and Nancy), by checking out and delivering on “wishes” and “opportunities” from our resource board, by providing technical/computer support to SLM and refugees (thanks Darrin, Rhett, and Zak!), by checking out and providing minor repairs on donated cars (thanks Bryan and Dan!), by attending our Supper Clubs and providing economic opportunity to refugees, by helping get kiddos to their school activities, by buying out 1,000 pieces of baklava in 3 days (AHHHHH! See photos below!), and yes, even by regular Costco runs to get TP and other essentials (you rock Julie!). This, and so much more, is the love you have given. I could really go on and on.  All this to say, on Valentine’s Day and every day, we love you and want to thank you for loving our new neighbors.

In love and gratitude, 

Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula

P.S.- Hey!  This is super cool, and extremely humbling- we made it into an incredible list of refugee advocates from all over. This list was put together by Sloane Davidson of Hello Neighbor– just a phenomenal woman who also founded a refugee support agency, in Pittsburgh, about the same time SLM took shape.  I get that it is my face that makes it into these things, but we all know who does the heavy lifting.  Any doubts, read the above again and/or come to the office and see our hardworking staff!  😉

United We Eat

SUPPER CLUB:  Join us again at Masala for our February 24th supper club! We’re thrilled to showcase the talents of guest chef Dr. Shabnam Qureshi, a Pakistani immigrant and professor at UM, as she prepares a delicious meal to share the culture and generosity of Pakistan. Click below to view more details and reserve your spot. Act fast—they go QUICKLY!

RESERVE NOW

People, Partners, Programs

Yesterday was “Galentine’s Day”- the day about ladies celebrating ladies!  On this day, we highlighted one of our “sisters” by recognizing Miry Whitehill of Miry’s List. Miry has been a generous friend, a strong guide, and a supportive confidant for us at Soft Landing. You should check out the incredible and inspiring work they do with refugee families in LA!

LEARN MORE

Events and Opportunities

>>Join us for the Big Sky Documentary Film Fest!  We are so excited about the incredible films we will be sponsoring and hope to see you there. LEARN MORE>>

>>The Lifelong Learning Center has an opening for a Tuesday evening ESL teacher. This is an incredible organization and a possible opportunity for even more days of teaching English. LEARN MORE>>

>> World View Film Series. The second installment of this popular FREE series of 5 films in partnership with The Roxy Theater, Arts Missoula, and others, kicks off Feb 25th and goes through June. This season’s theme is MUSIC. LEARN MORE>>

Call to Action- Advocacy

If you weren’t already aware, we are well into Montana’s 2019 Legislative Session. While we have not yet seen any refugee specific bills pop up, there is a bill, HB146, and companion state referendum, HB147, that we are worried about. This bill regards Sanctuary Cities, and places HUGE fines on municipal governments for not deferring to federal agencies in regard to immigration. READ MORE about why we oppose this bill and how you can help ASAP!

MORE PHOTOS! 
A couple more pics of our awesome Valentine’s Day Baklava Sale!  Thanks so much Waleed for making over 1000 pieces of baklava and thank you guys for the incredible response that sold all of this in less than 3 days!  This makes us think that maybe we should have another something up our sleeve for Mother’s Day!!!
PS- We also had a fun impromptu Eritrean Coffee Ceremony in our office for pick-up day.  We love this tradition so much that we will soon be hosting a monthly coffee ceremony in our office- open to all.  Stay tuned!

Sanctuary Bill is on it’s way to the Senate- Call to Action


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So, if you weren’t already aware, we are well into Montana’s 2019 Legislative Session. While we have not yet seen any refugee specific bills pop up, there is a bill, HB146, and companion state referendum, HB147, that we are worried about. This bill regards Sanctuary Cities, and places HUGE fines on municipal governments for not deferring to federal agencies in regard to immigration. Please read our statement below that we submitted before the bill recently passed committee and quickly got sent through the House- passing all 3 readings. We still have time to stop this by contacting our Senators before it reaches the senate floor. It is first headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee- so especially contact these folks using the easy link above!


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Here are some main points you may mention when calling:

-Solution in search of a problem. No city or town has a sanctuary city policy.

-Takes away local government choice.

-Imposes huge penalties and imposes costs of compliance, even for an informal policy.

-Symbolic effect of the law/referendum is to raise fears of immigrants living among us; divides and stirs the pot.

-Unjust, unconstitutional and a waste of state resources.

-Counter-productive. Puts the most vulnerable, women in situations of domestic violence and human trafficking victims, at highest risk by placing barriers between immigrants and law enforcement.

-Bill has been proposed last 3-4 legislative sessions and never passed. Referendum would be struck down as unconstitutional.

So PLEASE, contact your senators ASAP on this issue. Tell them to VOTE NO on HB146 and HB147. It is quick, it is easy, and it makes a HUGE difference!

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Testimony in opposition to HB 146 and HB 147

 Soft Landing Missoula is a local, grassroots non-profit whose mission is to help Missoula be a welcoming, supportive and informed community that can assist refugees as they integrate and thrive. Thanks to the International Rescue Committee as the resettlement agency, about 225 refugees from four countries now call Missoula home. Although refugees are immigrants with documented status, we understand the plight of undocumented individuals, for they have also suffered and feared much in the countries from which they fled.

 We oppose HB 146 and HB 147 because they do nothing to make Montana residents safer. The proposed legislation is a useless, threatening gesture, “nugatory” in legal terms, that promises punishing fines to Montana towns and cities that do anything to block or delay or give less priority to the giving of information to federal immigration authorities. These bills falsely assume a solution where no problem exists; as the fiscal note to this bill says, no Montana town or city has adopted any resolution or ordinance restricting any information about a person’s citizenship status or prohibiting compliance with a federal immigration order.

 Would the resources and time committed to investigating and enforcing such punitive measures make Montanans any safer? All of us want safety, and immigrants in Missoula have experienced that commitment by Montana law enforcement. But federal law enforcement in the service of safety and national security has not always guaranteed these things, even for citizens. In recent years federal enforcement agencies have been responsible for much unnecessary pain–family separations, child detentions, cruel asylum policies, racial profiling, and more. These actions continue to erode public confidence in immigration enforcement.

 Moreover, this approach is counter-productive. These types of policies create fear in the local immigrant communities and spreads distrust, particularly among women in domestic violence situations, and women and girls who are here as a result of human trafficking. They are the ones who are at greatest risk of being dissuaded from trusting law enforcement if they believe the local police will turn them over to ICE if they reach out for help and potentially force them back into unsafe circumstances. Intentionally placing barriers between Montana law enforcement and immigrants, Montana government and minorities, is onerous and not helpful to anyone.

Please vote against HB 146 and HB 147.

Respectfully,

The board of Soft Landing Missoula and executive director Mary Poole

Happy Galentine’s Day!


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Happy Galentine’s Day!!

Today is all about ladies celebrating ladies and MY GOSH do we have some amazing women in our lives. Soft Landing is completely run by women (with a shout out to our great male board members and volunteers as well!), but today we want to celebrate one girl boss that we are so grateful to know- the lovely Miry Whitehill of Miry’s List.

It has been incredible to be inspired and supported by other groundbreaking organizations around the nation and Miry’s List is one of the best “sisters” we could ask for. Miry is always a text away and has been a huge part of helping Soft Landing find our footing. We are constantly inspired by the work they do, the persistence they have, and the light they spread in their community and beyond.

For Christmas, Molly got Mary the perfect present: a Miry’s List sweatshirt and she hasn’t taken it off since! Go grab yourselves one too! And while you’re at it, go follow along with their journey, it’s a pretty spectacular one.

On this Galentine’s Day, we celebrate the women who see a need and meet it. The women who are faced with a challenge and choose to share love. The women who know that supporting other women will raise everybody up. Happy Galentine’s Day, everyone! Today and every day, let’s celebrate the women who bring light to our lives. Spread the love today and always.


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February Supper Club 2/24

Join us at Masala for Soft Landing Missoula’s February 24th supper club! This month we are excited to showcase the talents of guest chef Dr. Shabnam Qureshi.

The Soft Landing Missoula Supper Club aims to introduce the incredible culinary talent of Missoula’s newest neighbors and international residents, whose rich and flavorful cooking traditions provide a cultural bridge and enrich our shared community.

Outside of this Supper Club, Professor Qureshi teaches at the University of Montana and offers cooking classes around town to share a bit of Pakistani culture and generosity with Missoula. For this supper club she will prepare an array of savory and sweet dishes with options for vegetarians.


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Where: Masala, 206 W Main St, Missoula, MT

When: Sunday, February 24th. Doors at 5:30 pm and dinner at 6:00pm

CostEat: $40/person Give: $60/person Love: $80/person

When you pay you will have the option to: 

Eat: $40 for a delicious family style dinner, where a portion of the cost covers ingredients and staff time, and the rest goes to the guest chef. 

Give: $60 gets you the same delicious dinner, but with an additional $20 going directly to the guest chef. 

Love: $80 gives an additional $40 directly to the guest chef to collectively make this an unforgettable evening!

All levels are welcome and appreciated!

How: To make a reservation call Masala at (406) 926- 6444

***Please let us know if anyone in your party would like a vegetarian meal and we will do our best to accommodate this.***

BSDFF 2019

The Big Sky Documentary Film Fest (BSDFF) is……

For the 3rd year in a row, Soft Landing Missoula will be sponsoring films for this great event. This is always a fun opportunity to promote a great community event that showcases so much diversity while supporting the arts!

This year, our films will be:

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The Interpreters:

Sofian Khan, Andres Caballero, 2017, USA — 74 minutes
Sunday, Feb 17th @ 9:00 pm –Elks Lodge 

Afghan and Iraqi interpreters serve as a crucial bridge between American soldiers and local nationals.  But as a result of their work with the U.S., many have become targets.  In the chaos of their war torn countries, these loyal allies now struggle to find a way out for themselves and their families.

All films for this screening:

The Trial and The Interpreters

*** Soft Landing will make an introduction to this film and have invited Andrew Person, a Missoula veteran with direct experience working with SIV Interpreters, to also share a bit about his story before the film. We will also be available after the film for comments and questions.***

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Lifeboat:

Skye Fitzgerald, 2018, International waters, Malta, Tunisia, USA — 35 minutes
Sunday, Feb 17th @ 1:00 pm –Wilma

Volunteers from a German non-profit risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts pushing off from Libya in the middle of the night. LIFEBOAT puts a human face on one of the world’s greatest contemporary, global crises and provides a spark of hope surrounding how civil society can intervene in the refugee crisis in a meaningful way.

All films for this screening:

Freedom in the Devil’s GarbOsama and AymanSteve is Undocumented,  Girls SectionAfter the Fire, and Lifeboat

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Learning to Swim:

Ruth Grimberg, 2017, UK — 10 minutes

Saturday, Feb 23rd @ 4:15 pm –MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Sunday, Feb 24th @ 3:45 pm –Elks Lodge 

In the quiet world of a quintessentially English town and amidst the fear and uncertainty of immigration and terrorism, Ingrid offers shelter to Ahmed, a Syrian refugee who has left everything behind in his search for a new life.

All films for Saturday screening:

Learning to Swim, All on a Mardi Gras DaySmall Family, Happy Family

All films for Sunday screening:

Learning to Swim, Heroin HearseThe Black MambasSunyi (Silence)Enforcement HoursSwatted 

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For more information on all of the films, see the full calendar here and the individual listings here.