Supporter Stories: Andi Hoelzel and Eleanor

by Adam Hendrickson


Working with families, there have been a couple instances where we’ve been out in the community and I’ve felt nervous about interactions we’ve had with people. There was an incident with a family where we had gone ice skating and, at the end of our adventure, we turned in all our skates and there was a hockey game starting at the other end of the rink. The family was interested in the game because hockey was very new to them so we watched a little. Prior to the hockey game, they did the national anthem, and there was a gentleman with beers by him standing there very macho. He reached over to the father of my family as the national anthem began and took his hood off his head. I think he may have tried to engage him a little bit verbally first, but then just reached over and pulled his hood. So, I got closer and sort of nervously stood beside him thinking, “Ugh, what’s going to happen next.”

The father of the family didn’t understand the interaction. He’d literally been in the country for two weeks and he spoke very little English. He didn’t understand that this man was trying to tell him to take his hood off. I felt all this tension in my body, that I’d absolutely step in if it escalated.  Then the national anthem ended and the guy reached over and said, “Hey man, you can put your hood back on,” in this very aggressive way. It felt very much like he was looking to him like, “you’re not from here, you don’t belong here, and I’m going to show you that you need to abide by these cultural norms.”

I just grabbed the family and said, “okay, it’s time to go!”

There is some of that, and I worry. But, mostly people have been warm and ask a lot of questions and have concerns about how the families are adjusting.

—

Andi volunteers at the IRC as a mentor and at Soft Landing Missoula

Photo and interview by Elliott Natz

 

June 22 Newsletter

by Adam Hendrickson

 

Success! 

Saturday’s celebration of World Refugee Day with our First Annual Soccer Tournament and Community Celebration was a smashing success! We are so so thankful for all who showed up to play and party with us and of course, the sponsors of the event! 

I couldn’t even begin to count the number of ear to ear smiles all day, from soccer players, to dancers, to people enjoying delicious food together, and of course our lovely volunteers who once again made the day happen. We knew this event would help build community between old and new Missoulians, but it has also been so neat to see some of the refugee families that didn’t know each other come into the office this week and hug and laugh about how sore everyone still is!  

Another HUGE thanks to our own Molly Cottrell, not just for this idea, but also designing the tournament and successfully arranging the teams so well that every team won at least one game and the final match had to be decided by a shootout!  Same time and place next year, so mark it on your calendars. You are not gonna want to miss it! 

We have one more SUPER exciting announcement to make: We have officially hired Carlyn Runnels as a third member of our team! Carlyn brings years of experience and much needed skills to SLM, but perhaps even more importantly, a sunny disposition and a roll-your-sleeves-up scrappiness that fits right in at our office. She has jumped right in and will be filling the role of Volunteer Coordinator (and more!) so I am sure many of you will get the privilege of meeting her soon. We are so happy you are with us Carlyn!

I will leave you with a couple memories of the fun we had at Saturday’s soccer tournament: My favorite is a short video the Missoulian shot starring Gilbert Hategeka from Congo. Here is also a link to the Missoulian article and picturesthat are fabulous! Thanks again everyone for coming out and enjoying yourselves!

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole

Airbnb + IRC

There is a wonderful new way Airbnb owners can support refugee families. Check it out!

Volunteers Needed for Drivers Ed

We run a fabulous little program for folks interested in working toward getting their driver’s license and have already helped a handful of folks all the way through this process! Our summer volunteer staffing for this program is a bit slim but it is one of our most popular classes and it’s fun! Please consider volunteering with this class. Learn more and contact us!

Upcoming Event

We are partnering with SALAM (Standing Alongside America’s Muslims) to screen 5 short films about refugees at home and abroad including 4.1 Miles next Wednesday, June 28, at the Missoula County Public Library at 6 p.m. Get more details.

Airbnb and IRC Partner to Provide Refugee Housing

by Adam Hendrickson

Airbnb, the world’s leading hospitality company, has graciously partnered with resettlement agencies like the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to provide housing for 100,000 displaced people over the next five years.

As IRC President and CEO David Miliband stated, “By connecting hosts willing to open their homes with families in need, Airbnb will help us cut the time and expense of moving refugees from harm to home…Refugees are fleeing war, persecution or political upheaval. They are resettling because they have been forced out of their homes. Most refugees arrive with nothing and must start over—they need work, money, education and, straight away, they need housing. By connecting hosts willing to open their homes with families in need, Airbnb will help us cut the time and expense of moving refugees from harm to home. Perhaps just as important, this sort of home sharing allows people to make real connections and to build lasting relationships.”

Soft Landing Missoula is thrilled that our community will have another way to help welcome new families into Missoula, thanks to our partners at the IRC and Airbnb. A special thanks to Tom Winter—the first Missoula Airbnb host participant in this program! We are so, so grateful! 

Read the full article and get information about how to open your Airbnb up to displaced families. 

Special Thanks to our World Refugee Cup Sponsors!

by Adam Hendrickson

Soft Landing Missoula is so excited for our first annual World Refugee Day Cup this Saturday! We couldn’t have made such a wonderful event possible without the help of our sponsors. 

We would like to give a warm thank you to Eric and Blair Sprunk for donating fifty kids soccer balls for our families and to Andrea Perez for the five game balls! The Whizpops and Dejebe deserve another special shout-out for providing the fun music during dinner. Dinner would not have been possible without the generosity of the White Bears – thank you for providing such a delicious meal!

Thanks again to our sponsors and our participants! 


Take Action: Contact your Congressperson Today!

by Adam Hendrickson

As we prepare for World Refugee Day, we are also taking action to help guarantee the future of the United States refugee resettlement program in the coming months.  Join us, as we join groups across the nation, to express our support for this historic and important program that helps families fleeing war, terror, and persecution find a safe and welcoming home in Missoula, MT and all around the United States.

Each year, the US Government determines how many refugees are allowed to enter our country. To prevent this number from decreasing, call your Congressperson today to voice your support for refugee resettlement.  

Call 1-855-472-8930 today to encourage our elected officials to increase the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the US today. There are instructions and and a suggested script for your call below.

Instructions:

1. Call 1-855-472-8930. When prompted, enter your 5-digit zip code.

2. Choose if you would like to speak with your Congressperson or Senator. You can also call back again and do both!

3. If you choose Congressperson, the recording says it is connecting to Ryan Zinke’s office; however, it actually connects to Representative Gianforte’s office.

4. Feel free to use this script to log your comment, either with a staff person or on the voicemail: “My name is [Your First and Last Name] and I am a constituent living in [Your City and State]. I support refugee resettlement and want to see more refugees resettled this year and next. I am calling to urge my Representative/Senator to express his/her support of the program to the President. Please let the President know that I support an increase in the number of refugees resettled in the U.S. and adequate funding for the resettlement program.”

Thank you for taking the time to support the future of the United States Refugee Resettlement program and help families in turmoil find a safe and welcoming home.

Supporter Stories: Jim Adams

by Adam Hendrickson


The other two families we’re working with are from Iraq and both the dads are translators for the U.S. Army. Both of them were on a waiting list for four years or almost four years. I was really ignorant of how things transpired there. When the U.S. Army pulled out, unlike other countries we left our people there, all the people that helped us.

I read a couple articles and the estimate is some 2,000 people helped the armed forces and were left.

Great Britain and Germany and other countries that were there offered their local people the opportunity to come with them when they left and we didn’t do that. And I think that’s a really shameful thing for this country to do.

—

Jim Adams is Involved with three families and works as an accountant at the Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at University of Montana.

—

Interview and photo by Elliott Natz