Volunteer Spotlight: Hayley Wright and Grant Parker

by Adam Hendrickson

Our Community Center is a busy place these days. We have English tutoring happening two mornings a week, and the very popular Driver’s Education classes going on every Friday. Donations are dropped off by our generous community on a daily basis and teams of people are gearing up to welcome each new family as they arrive. None of this would be possible without our amazing volunteers and we are so thankful!

This month we’d like to spotlight Hayley Wright and Grant Parker, who have taken the lead on our English tutoring program that is offered in our Community Center. They have been patient and flexible as we learn how to start a brand new program. They have developed curriculum and offered leadership in each class that is invaluable. We are so happy that they are giving their time and energy to this important endeavor and we want to say thank you!

Winter Clothes Still Needed: Especially school-aged children sizes

by Adam Hendrickson

We are thrilled to be welcoming many new families this winter to our cold and snowy town.

Our arriving families are often not accustomed to such cold temperatures, so we are making an effort to load them up on the best winter gear we can find. We are in need of new or gently used winter items. Please bring items to our office at 939 Stephens Avenue. We will have someone to accept items on Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m., or you can drop them off any time the office is open.

We are really in need of the following: Coats, boots, mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, thick socks, long underwear and snow pants/suits. All sizes are welcome, but sizes for school-aged children are the most needed.

Thank you!

Women’s March on Montana

by Adam Hendrickson

SLM will be participating in The Women’s March on Montana on Saturday January 21st.  Read more below and consider joining us!

The Women’s March on Montana is guided by basic principles of human rights with a value on human dignity. We are committed to the following:

  • Women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age, or disability.
  • We also believe in practicing empathy with the intent to learn about the intersecting identities of each other. We will suspend our first judgment and do our best to lead without ego.

There will be a march and rally on January 21, 2017, from 12:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. Buses and cars can park at the mall parking lot. We will gather at 11:30 and begin the march at 12:00 p.m. We will meet on 8th Avenue between Roberts and Sanders. The march will take place on sidewalks and roads, and is approximately 0.8 miles long.

Please see the official flier for more information or visit the Women’s March on Montana facebook page. If you are in need of a ride to attend the march in Helena, visit Group Carpool: Helena March to coordinate with other like minded individuals so your voice can be heard!

 

Celebration of Congolese song and dance

by Adam Hendrickson

Join SLM and Unity Dance and Drum for a celebration of Congolese song and dance!

World-renowned Congolese artist Mabiba Baegne will be teaching dance, drum, and song classes in Missoula January 12-14, 2017.  Unity Dance & Drum, with help from Soft Landing Missoula, will also host a gathering and potluck (bring a dish to share!) from 11am-2pm on January 14, complete with African food, an informal dance class, singing, presentations, and socializing to honor and welcome our newly resettled Congolese families. You will need a ticket for the gathering but IT IS FREE (we have limited space)–we are suggesting a donation of $5 to $50. You can get tickets at any of the workshop classes or at the door!

All events will be at the Missoula Senior Center. Classes are $20/person/class.

Class Schedule
Thursday, January 12
4:30-6:00pm dance
6:00-7:30pm drum
Friday, January 13
4:30-6:00pm drum
6:00-7:30p dance

Saturday, January 14
10:00-11:00am song
2:00-3:30pm dance
3:30-5:00pm West African Drum class
(We need 10 people minimum to hold this class! Please call 549-7933 or email tarn.ream@umontana.edu to register, prior experience suggested!)

Saturday, Jan. 14 gathering from 11am-2pm is FREE with a ticket (space is limited) donations of $5 to $50 encouraged. Tickets will be available at all workshop classes and at the door.

Missoula refugees now number 46

by Adam Hendrickson

By Kim Briggeman/Missoulian

Forty-six women, men and children from war-torn lands in Africa and Iraq found new homes in Missoula in the final five months of 2016.

Refugee resettlement by the International Rescue Committee and volunteers of Soft Landing Missoula has become a movement near and dear to the city’s heart, while many across the state and nation voice opposition that matched in passion that of those doing the resettling. Read more.

Newsletter 14, 12/30/16

by Adam Hendrickson

Hello!

I am dropping a quick note out in the last couple days of this year just to say hi and acknowledge that I haven’t been able to get a newsletter out for a while!!!  We have had a ton going on and of course there were the holidays!  We are in the process of updating our website to reflect all of our new adventures but here is a mini- update.  12 families are now living in Missoula- Congolese, Iraqi, Eritrean and Ethiopian families- with a busy January in the works!  Classes are in full swing here at SLM headquarters and as I write this, I am listening to Greta teach 9 eager and engaged students about the different types of lines on the road as they prepare to take their written driving tests!  This might be my favorite class 😉

We are also working hard to engage with legislators as we roll into the legislative session of 2017.  We are making a lot of phone calls and trying to get some basic info out to folks as they start to move to the Capitol.  It is a bust time of year fro all.  We are so thankful for our partners and those also working hard to support refugees this session, including the ACLU, MHRN and MAC.  We are so so excited about MAC Day and again, want to extend the invite for people to join us on the bus!  There will be busses traveling from Missoula, Kalispell, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Billings if all goes well.  I know this email goes out to people across the state and I am inviting you all to participate! This will be a faith based day but the invitation is open to anyone with the shared values of Justice for the poor and venerable.  Information for all locations will be available soon on the MAC website.  If you are in Missoula and want to go, please check out the attached flier and to sign up, send your name, email, a phone number and affiliation to First United Methodist, FUMCMissoula@gmail.com by Jan. 15.  $15/person, $20/couple.  You can always email me for more info or with any questions.  

I want you to know there is going to be a lot of fun things coming up in the new year!  We are in the process of planing our next lecture in out Soft Landing Missoula Presents series.  This lecture will look at the conflict and culture of East Africa- specifically Eritrea and Ethiopia.  This will hopefully be sometime in February. We also have a workshop being planned for the early spring as an extension of our previous “Ally Training” that we offered last year to learn about and practice engaging in conversation with our friends, family and neighbors about refugees and resettlement.  We believe fully that conversation- and A LOT of listening- is so important to creating a welcoming environment for refugees in our community- even more so now!  Look for these engaging events to help us all broaden our ability to participate.

Lastly, I want to put a plug in for the amazing job Missoula County Public Schools has been doing! We have been able to send volunteers their way that have been working one on one with all of the English Language Learners (refugees and other immigrant students) and they train and organize this group of folks in the classroom.  I have heard back from so so many volunteers how wonderful this program is.  MCPS is in need of more tutors and will be running another training session soon.  Check out this post on our website to get more information on how to sign up!  Also consider contacting them if you have interest in volunteering to help manage the volunteers as they would like a little help with scheduling etc…

OK- I love you all!  We will have a new (and improved!) newsletter format in the new year so this will probably be my last really rambly, long word dump on you guys 😉  Don’t worry, I will still be corresponding with you regularly, it will hopefully just be a little more organized and easy to read thanks to a wonderful team of volunteer communications folks who are getting me all in line! Thank you so much for all of your support- especially through our End of the Year giving mailing and emails (don’t worry! You will get one more tomorrow to remind you that it is the last day of the year to make a tax deductible donation!).  We have been just overwhelmed with support and I will leave you with this last lovely story about Jane Moses and her winter journey from Billings! Glad she made it yesterday 😉 We are so thankful!

Volunteer as an English Language Tutor

by Adam Hendrickson

Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) is in need of volunteers for their ELL department to work with English as a second language students in school. They are seeking volunteers who are available to meet their assigned student at consistent times throughout the week for an extended period of time throughout the school year. Volunteers will meet with one student or a small group of students and work on developing their English skills and learning about the culture of American schools. Tutors will be provided with resources to use when working with the students – either from the teacher or from the ELL Department.

To Become a Tutor

Step 1: Fill out an MCPS volunteer application and background check if you haven’t done so already. Please fill out the “unsupervised volunteer” application.

 Step 2: Fill out the MCPS Volunteer ELL Tutor Application

 Step 3: Attend a tutor orientation. The ELL Department will contact you to set up an orientation time once your application has been reviewed.  Volunteers working with ELL students are required to attend a tutor orientation prior to working with students.  

 Step 4: Become an active volunteer tutor and receive an assignment! You will be assigned a school, student and time to meet.  We will provide our volunteers with materials, resources, and support.

What if I don’t get a call or assignment right away?

The ELL Department will work as quickly as possible to set up assignments for volunteers. However, due to school schedules, the application process, and students’ needs, it will take some time to put volunteers in place.  We will work as efficiently as possible as we process the applicants and make assignments.

Questions?

Questions regarding assignments should be directed to Shirley Lindburg (MCPS ELL Coordinator) salindburg@mcps.k12.mt.us
or Aria Peters (MCPS ELL Specialist) apeters@mcps.k12.mt.us.

A soft landing in Montana

by Adam Hendrickson

December 12, 2016 ~ By Amy Frykholm/The Christian Century
“When I arrived in Missoula, I felt very cold,” said Joel Makeci Ebuela, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Before coming to Montana in September, Ebuela had lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania since he was 11. Ebuela, his wife, Bikyeombe Abwe, and their five children are now settling into a new life in the United States. Read more.

Winter Donations Needed

by Adam Hendrickson

Because of your generous clothing donations, we have been able to help all the recently arrived refugee families to stay warm. But we need to replenish our supplies for newly arriving families. While we are no longer able to accept donations of everyday clothing, we are still in need of the following winter outerwear:

For Adults and Children 2-17
New or gently used:
• Winter coats
• Hats, gloves, scarves
• Winter boots
• Fleece jackets
• Snow pants (Youth only)
• Flip flops (not for winter, not outerwear, but we need ’em)
• Warm socks
• Long underwear

For Children under 2
New or gently used:
• Hats and mittens
• Ones-ies
• Snowsuit

Diapers in size 4 and 5 are always needed and welcome.

For the month of December, we will have drop-off hours at Soft Landing Missoula (939 Stephens) on Mondays and Wednesdays, 12 – 2 pm. Can’t make it during these times? Email Donate@softlandingmissoula.org to schedule an alternative drop-off time.

Thank you!

MAC Day: Show Your Support in Helena on January 23

by Adam Hendrickson

There are multiple anti-refugee/anti-immigrant bills in play for the 2017 Montana State Legislature. (Please read the recent Missoulian article for more information.) We must have a presence at the Capitol to have our voices heard.  

We will be participating in MAC Day at the Legislature on Monday, January 23, in Helena.

If you would like to join us, we ask that you request a meeting with your state legislators during the luncheon at 11:15 in the Rotunda on January 23, 2017. (You can Use MAC’s Advocacy Toolbox to find your legislators.)

MAC’s website has the complete itinerary for the day. You can also download our flyer (.docx).

UPDATE ON THE BUS: The bus is filling up nicely, and 44 folks from Missoula have signed up, so there’s room for a few more friends, but please let FUMC and Jana Staton (FUMCMissoula@gmail.com & jstaton@montana.com)  know by Friday, Jan. 20.  Due to time constraints, please directly notify them and not Soft Landing Missoula. Cost is $15 a seat or $20 for a couple.

MORE DETAILS

Montana Association of Christians (MAC) is a well respected organization who participates in the legislature and believes in educating and advocating for Justice and Compassion for all. Every session they choose a few key issues, and this year, one of those issues is to champion the cause of Refugees and Immigrants in Montana.  

On January 23, we will board the MAC bus in the morning (a bus with coffee and donuts and training!) and spend the day visiting our representatives in the Capitol. We want to help them fill the bus!  There will only be about 50 seats.

We are so grateful for MAC’s insightful and kind guidance and their willingness to stand up for refugees in this tricky political climate.

There will be other opportunities to join in our efforts this session and as we strategize and plan, we will be sure to let you know other ways that you can help!