It’s kind of the theme this time of year, but I think I can just say that it is the new and ever present theme of my life these days (years!). I wanted to tell you a bit about my past week- much of which I spent in Pittsburgh meeting up with 8 other incredible refugee centered non-profit leaders- most with an organization about the same age as Soft Landing. Finally getting to meet these women in the newly formed Hello Neighbor Network whom I have been corresponding with for quite some time was magical- instant sisterhood doesn’t even begin to describe it. It feels amazing to see yourself in other people that you so quickly come to know and admire. It builds excitement and confidence for the great work we are doing here at Soft Landing and puts into clear view a vision of individuals living by the same dedication all across this country. It helps us look at these challenging political times and say, “Yeah, we got this. This is worth it. Keep going.” But do you know what feeling crept up on me the most? Gratitude. Gratitude for this incredible community that truly does so much of the heavy lifting- and always with a smile and open arms. Gratitude for my Molly (our amazing co-founder and Deputy Director) and Greta (also a co-founder and our Family Resource Manager) and Maria (our new superstar in the fundraising- and more!-department). Huge gratitude for the Soft Landing board and their steady vision of how to make this organization and the work we do focused, sustainable, and with a life bigger than all of us. I honestly don’t think I was homesick in the few days I was gone, but I certainly thought about home every second- with gratitude. Man I love you guys.

OK, enough of the mush! Who hasn’t ordered their Thanksgiving treats yet?!?! We have sold close to 2,000 individual treats to over 100 people- translating to almost $3,000 in economic benefit for the chefs- 100% of sales going directly into their pockets! Woohoo! But you know what… We are only half way! I am thinking we need to try and double that. Can you help us make it happen? Ordering is open until Saturday and if you haven’t ordered, there is still time. There is also still time to TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!! Have them go to unitedweeatmt.org and put an order in to spice up their holiday table.

Thanks for being on this delicious and worthwhile adventure with us 😉

In love and gratitude,

Mary

PS- If you haven’t seen this yet- we are so so happy for Kasse, Tosha, and the kiddos! They went through the rigorous process to be selected for one of Habitat for Humanities homes in 2020. Check out this great story here. Habitat is still on the search for the location (in Missoula) where this house will be built. If you have a spot, know a spot, have any leads and just have more questions, please reach out to geoff@habitatmissoula.org.

Here we go 2019!

For Soft Landing Missoula, 2018 was filled with more joy, adventure, challenge, and light than seemingly possible. Excuse my baby analogies (you all know I am obsessed), but I feel like 2017 was a year when we were just cutting our teeth and looking around in wide-eyed amazement.  In 2018, we started to motor. No more crawling, we are walking now- although at times, still a little wobbly 😉 We know more of what we need and want, we can understand other’s needs and have begun to meet our own and theirs.  I think we saw our largest growth in 2018 with relationships.  Relationships with refugee families who continue to awe and inspire us the more we get to know them. Relationships with our community partners such as the Life Long Learning Center, Missoula County Public Schools, Pathways, and the IRC who are all working incredibly hard to make Missoula a place where refugees can THRIVE. And relationships with you all- our volunteers and supporters, who it goes without saying, our work wouldn’t be possible without and who we have also just had plain fun getting to know better and seeing more often!

One thing we learned about you all last year is how much you guys love to hear about what is going on in the office and around town on the day to day. Along with increased social media content that you enjoyed (Thanks so much Sophia!!! Find us on Facebook and Instagram if you haven’t already!) you guys showed us that you really liked hearing about our new and old (mature?) programing, who else is doing great work, and who we are having fun with.  To honor this, we will be re-working our newsletter in the near future, and it is my goal to offer you more insight and information on Programming, Partnerships, and People (catchy huh?) moving forward.  We will certainly still announce events in the newsletter, such as our World Refugee Day soccer tournament in June, Welcoming Week activities in September, monthly Supper Clubs (see below for the announcement of the January date and menu!), a VERY EXCITING new food initiative in the pipeline, and many other ways to celebrate throughout the year.  We will still shine a light on local, state, and national action related to refugees and immigrants and we will still let you know of ways to get involved through volunteering and donating.

We are so excited about serving refugee families and you all even better in 2019, that we started the year off with a little creative and simple project that will hopefully make everyone feel a bit more valuable and connected.  On the largest wall in our office, we have put up 3 huge Resource Boards whose purpose is to post Wishes and Opportunities for both refugee clients and the Missoula community in order to better facilitate those relationships and connections that serve each party.  On the “Opportunities” end, this can be something as simple as posting an available couch to find a home in need or something more comprehensive such as offering a service like lactation consulting for new mothers. On the “Wishes”, we have already found things such as gymnastics lessons and help setting up WiFi.  These boards go both ways and we highly encourage you to call in or visit our office to post something and see how you might be able to get more involved.

We love you. We are grateful for you. And we are looking forward to a dynamic, life-affirming, and fun 2019.  Lets do this Missoula!

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole

January Supper Club!

Join us at Masala for Soft Landing Missoula’s January 27th supper club! This month we are so excited to showcase the talents of guest chefs Ammar & Zena Omar, brother and sister, and owners of the new food truck and catering business Kamoon Arabian Cuisine. This will be an excellent opportunity to explore new flavors while supporting refugee entrepreneurship in Missoula, MT! Check out this great recent article from the Missoula Current. View more details and see how to make reservations here.  Act quick- they go FAST!

Educational Opportunities for English Language Learners Info Session

Are you a volunteer, mentor, teacher, friend, or refugee that is interested in learning what it takes for an English Language Learner to access higher education and increase opportunities for career and financial success in America? Saturday, January 26th, the Life Long Learning Center, Job Services Missoula, and the International Rescue Committee are putting on an informational session to help us all understand goals, timelines, and steps we can take together to help refugees achieve these goals! More information available here and on poster below.

The Lucky Ones

If you are in or near Dillon, MT today, join myself, Mayor Wilmot Collins, and Jen Barile of the International Rescue Committee for an Opening Reception and Panel Discussion for UMW alumni Madeline Scott’s incredible photo exhibit “The Lucky Ones”.  This unique project chronicles the lives of refugees arriving in Boise in spring of 2017 during the turbulent time of travel bans and national fervor. See poster below for times and location info.

“Public Charge”- What is this?

With the upcoming December 10th deadline to submit a public comment on proposed changes in “Public Charge” qualifications, we have been hearing this term a lot- but what is it? On the most basic level, public charge refers to how likely it is that a person will become a financial burden on the American economy and then works to exclude them from the chance of gaining citizenship.  In my perspective, it is an odd thing for our nation to judge individuals on, not only considering the multiple fact-based studies that show the huge over-all economic benefits that immigrants and refugees bring to our country, but also because it just seems kind of counter to our “anyone gets a chance”, “boot strap” values (admittedly spoken from a place of privilege) and the fact that “economic” isn’t the only benefit or measure of value that exists. We currently have some basic federal regulations around this, but these new proposed changes tighten that definition and will directly and indirectly affect many classifications of immigrants and refugees.

SLM put out this statement a couple weeks ago and now the deadline is upon us- only 4 days left.  We are encouraging you all to read our statement and use this great toolkit from the International Rescue Committee, as well as this powerful letter from Welcoming America, to draft your own unique and personal statement to submit on or before December 10th. So… full disclosure, I am the one who totally freezes on the line while trying to call my elected officials and then basically sputters non-sense.  This idea of a “unique and personal” statement kind of terrifies me. I think the thing that gives me strength is knowing that I will be joining YOU and 132,024 other comments and mine does not have to be perfect, it just has to be from me. So here goes. In hopes to persuade some of the rest of you that might also be balking at this as well, here is my own short and imperfect comment for submission:
 

I am writing as an individual, but also on behalf of Soft Landing Missoula, a nonprofit organization in Missoula, MT that works with refugee families and started in 2015 as a response to families fleeing and being torn apart by war, terror, and persecution. I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed changes to tighten the definition of “public charge” in relation to immigration status and citizenship criteria.  These changes would not only put families in fear of seeking resources to support a healthy family in the relatively short time it takes them to get their feet under them and give so much back to our country both economically and culturally, but it would also seriously impact the ability of immigrants and refugees to be reunited with their families. As a mother, a daughter, and a wife, I believe that there is nothing more important in this whole world than being able to be with your family. This is something that we as Americans so often take for granted but still is revered as the cornerstone of our nation. Family reunification is a real trial that I see daily with refugee families who have landed in Missoula and are trying to find and be reunited with loved ones that were scattered to the wind- sometimes in a matter of minutes and sometimes over years of struggle. This is already an extremely challenging “long shot” for so many families, I can’t imagine making it even more difficult.

It is for this reason and more that I wholeheartedly oppose these proposed changes.  This is not what we are about as Americans. I know we are a country that values family and the ability of a person to start with so little and give back tenfold.  This is the America I believe in.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

OK!  Your turn!  Here is the link to the website to submit your comment. You have 4 days to add to the 132,024 comments that have already been submitted.  Go get em’!

In love and gratitude, 

Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula

December Supper Club!

Join us on December 16th at 5:30 at Masala for Israel food!  The chef, Tedesse Gebreslasie is from Eritrea but spent 7 years in Israel as part of his long journey to safety, some of those years working as a professional chef!
Find out more about cost, full menu, and how to join us next Sunday evening here.

Where: Masala, 206 W Main St , MT 59802

When: Sunday, December 16th.  Doors at 5:30 pm and dinner at 6:00pm

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

Please direct any further questions to megan@softlandingmissoula.org

Volunteer Party at Imagine Nation Brewing- December 9th!

Join us on December 9th for our end of year Volunteer Party to celebrate all you do for Soft Landing and Missoula’s refugees! We are so grateful to have such incredible volunteers and want to personally invite you to enjoy an evening at Imagine Nation Brewing full of raffles, prizes, and awards. The party starts at 5:00, so come grab a drink on us and take a look back at what an incredible year 2018 has been.

We couldn’t do this without you!! Thanks for helping to make Missoula a place we all can call home!

Soft Landing Missoula at the MADE Fair!

We will be at the MADE Fair this Sunday, December 9th from 11am-6pm. While you are shopping, come find us for sweatshirts, t-shirts, totes, stickers and much more for everyone on your holiday list! All of the non-profit booths are located in the hallway of the Main Gym floor.  See you there!

Same strength, Different path 

While Soft Landing Missoula is an organization that works MOSTLY with refugees, we have also been honored to work with a couple people who are in Missoula seeking asylum. The reasons that have brought them here can be strikingly similar, if not at times even more severe, than the refugee families that have found a home in Missoula.  One of the biggest differences, is that people seeking asylum have to apply for and prove their case while already in the U.S.  For a refugee family, this process takes place before they arrive and once they are here, this is their home and they can begin a new life with a path to citizenship and all that entails.  Someone with an asylum claim, on the other hand, exists in a state of limbo, a state of worry that they may not be able to stay, that they may never be able to be reunited with their family in safety. Uncertainty is a constant companion until the day their case is approved and this process can take years.  The point is, refugees AND those seeking asylum for themselves and their families ALL deserve a shot to be heard and treated fairly and humanely. Historically, we as Americans have known this is the right thing to do and have acted in accordance with U.S. and international law, which absolutely allows both forms of seeking safety in this beautiful country.  Currently, on our southern border, this is now coming into question as our administration is throwing up every obstacle they can to vulnerable families looking for safety.  Soft Landing has laid down a statement in an op-ed in today’s Missoulian to explain a bit more and call us to action by making sure we are holding our elected leaders accountable.  You can see that statement here.

It can seem a bit isolating way up here to know the best ways to help. We have sought out advice from people who know better than us on how you can be a part of direct action to help families seeking asylum right now.  This shouldn’t be a substitute for calling your representatives, but you can also reach out to El Otro Lado (The Other Side). El Otro Lado, run by Nicole Ramos, an exceptional immigration attorney that has been working on & across the border for a long time, needs both help & money. 

You can DONATE to El Otro Lado or find more general info here.

They also have opportunities to volunteer for professionals and students with a legal background and you can fill out their online form here. 

Lastly, I want to leave you with a story of hope.  A story from right here in our little mountain town.  As I said, SLM has worked with a couple incredibly resilient, strong, and perseverant folks seeking asylum while in Missoula.  Even with all the chaos surrounding this process right now, a dear friend just had her asylum case officially approved after YEARS of waiting. I thought my heart would explode when I heard this wonderful news!  Just two weeks prior (before she learned her asylum was granted), she had come into the office with a lightness of step and a smile.  In the 3 years I have known her, she has had some understandably challenging times, as you can imagine, but something about her that day was glowing. “Mary”, she said, “I know now that I have strong friends because I am strong.” Truer words were never spoken and we are so incredibly proud of her and are overjoyed for her next chapter.  She now gets to file the paperwork to be reunited with her children after 5 long years. We will be with her through this next challenging step, and know her strength will continue to shine. 

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole 

A HUGE THANKS for a successful Giving Tuesday!

You guys!  We has set a substantial goal of $5,000 for Giving Tuesday 2018.  You guys blew that out of the water with an impressive $6,559!!!  What?!?!?  We are so grateful for this incredible community (and beyond!) who cares as much as we do about supporting refugees in Missoula- and shows it every day, but especially on days of giving 😉  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

2019 Vista opening with Soft Landing Missoula

Join (or help us spread the word!) Soft Landing Missoula’s dynamic team in an exciting one year, full time position through the Americorps VISTA program. Term starts in late January and we are reviewing applications now! We are looking for a motivated team player to jump into our fun, busy office. See below for more information on how to apply.

ttps://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=77397&fromSearch=true
 

Volunteer Training Opportunity

So many Missoulians are currently working with refugee students, young and adult, as tutors, teachers, or mentors.  The University Of Montana School of Psychology Program and Soft Landing Missoula are bringing you a workshop lead by two phenomenal women with extensive experience working with refugees, both at home and abroad.  If you are currently working with someone, or even if you are interested in getting more involved, join us to learn more about “Cross-Cultural Tutoring: Understanding Refugee Students and their Families” with Diana Diakow, M.A. and Anisa N. Goforth, PhD, NCSP.  More info about this free opportunity here!

Fun Weekend of Events that Give Back!

People are awesome and incredibly generous. This weekend, three separate events are being put on by businesses and individuals to support SLM and Missoula’s refugee families.  Check out all 3! 

1) Get your sweat on!
2) So you can eat more cookies! 
3) Then pamper yourself while helping refugee women do the same!

A “full” place…

I don’t mean hectic or overwhelming (most of the time anyway!), but full to the brim of life and love, mentorship and friendship, coats and more coats, laughter and tears, learning and playing, and of course, our most favorite thing- babies!  😉  This is what our office has become EVERYDAY! Wow! It really is a dream realized. 

When Molly Cottrell and I set out a little over 2 years ago, planning our vision for what a Community Resource Center space might look like to turn this idea of a welcoming Missoula into reality, I think it looked pretty darn close to this.  We get over 100 visitors weekly, coming in for a huge variety of reasons!  We still teach driver’s education classes and run free in-kind donation “shopping”, but on any given day, there are countless other things people are stopping by for as well.  Helping with confusing mail, taking a back seat on important phone calls just in case a little guidance is needed, checking out articles on current events, setting up email accounts, helping secure culturally appropriate food and home items, assisting motivated entrepreneurs, and yes, snuggling babies- are just a few of the things we get to do all day! Some folks just come in to connect- community members wanting to know how to get involved, refugees using our WiFi to talk to loved ones back home, folks swinging by on their way home from work just to say hi and sit for a bit while their kiddos play.  Last Tuesday, we had 2 new tutor/mama matches join another long time Tuesday am pair and I was just floored to see the excitement, understanding, confidence, and growing friendship that was already blossoming that very first day.  I can’t count the number of moments I have peeked out of my office in the last couple months and into the common area to just see it all happening, and I am in AWE. 

I am in awe of what Soft Landing does and I have to give credit where credit is due. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting our staff- you are missing out! Many of you know Molly Cottrell- co-founder, my rock, and the real reason the office doors open on time every morning, but the two of us are overjoyed to have quite the team now!  Molly and I plugged along (with HUGE board and volunteer support) for a year before we were joined by the best Vista Volunteer you could ever ask for- Megan Anderson- who has made much of our food programing and so so many other things possible this year.  There is absolutely no way we could do what we do without her (and we are terrified for when her year is up!). Sophia Bay joined us 3 months ago and is the reason that you guys all love our Instagram feed now 😉  Hired for Development and Communications, she jumped right into the last line on the job description “and other duties as assigned” with gusto- especially the baby squeezing! Lastly, we can’t even express how excited we are to have realized another dream and hired one of our longest running volunteers- Greta Bates.  Greta was part of the founding crew, having had experience with working with refugees back east while in College, she was on a mentor team for the second family that arrived in Missoula. We have watched as she falls into such an easy and honest relationship with everyone she meets.  She is now connected, on her own, with the majority of Missoula’s 50+ refugee families and we hired her as our Family Resource Coordinator to ensure that Soft Landing cultivates solid and true relationships with refugee families so that our programming can be client driven and relevant. That and she has a super cute new baby!  Is anyone seeing a theme here?!?!?! 

Most importantly, our office is lively and amazing because of our new neighbors- refugee families that share so much with us: joy, struggle, humor, generosity, tenacity, insight, perspective, dreams, and baby snuggles (I can’t stop!!!), we are honored to have our little office be a place where all of this magic happens… So, mix the 5 of us in with at least a couple amazing volunteers each day, an incredible intern or two, and add a sprinkling of new neighbors filtering through all day- and lots of babies!- and you start to get an idea of what I say when I mean “full”, in the best way.

Well, I congratulate you if you got through all of that. I feel like it had been a while since I gave a good office update, and we have so so so much to good stuff to share!  Thank you Missoula- new and old- for making our vision a reality. Stop in and see us sometime 😉

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole

PS- To share one of the most powerful moments over the last week… The morning after the elections, we got to show two Eritrean fathers an article about a newly elected, first-generation Eritrean American Congressman from Colorado.  Talk about excitement and a sparkle in the eye as they thought of their own children and the promise and opportunity of America with a little hard work, passion, and gumption! 

November Supper Club is here!!

Call Soft Landing Missoula (493.0504) quick to join us on November 19th- next Monday!- at Scotty’s Table for a special Eritrean Buffet. Perfect food for a warm cozy early winter evening, the chefs are excited to share a variety of delicious entrees with you from their home country of Eritrea, as well as the beautiful and delicious Eritrean Coffee Ceremony.  More details available here.  

Volunteer Opportunity! Driver’s Education.

One of our best loved and most impactful programs, learning to drive becomes a cornerstone of a family’s self sufficiency, independence, and economic opportunity. Join us in helping people’s worlds grow.  Find out more info on this fun and rewarding opportunity here.

Huge thanks to Gallatin Refugee Connections and the great people of Bozeman!

GRC collected over 200 welcome kits for IRC and SLM clients last weekend!  This is the second year in a row that this incredible fall drive has overwhelmed us with generosity!  You are all amazing!  Great pictures and article here 😉

“Public Charge” Changes Imperil Refugees and Immigrants

As we now realize, this proposed change could affect refugees as well, because many families could withdraw from SNAP or TANF out of fear, as they have done in the past. We are re-running this updated statement, with a link to the IRC’s excellent toolkit.  Please join us in making our voices heard BEFORE December 10th, when the public comment period will be closed and this could be a permanent change.

Kamoon Arabian Cuisine

Have you been missing Ammar’s incredible food at the Farmers’ Market?!?  Did you know that he caters?  He also just purchased a food truck and we will keep you up to speed with Kamoon Arabian Cuisine about town, but check out his expanded catering menu for holiday gatherings with family and friends!  

More wonderful Pakistani cooking classes with Dr. Qureshi!

There may be a few spots left in this Thursday’s class.  A great date night or ladies night, Iv’e always wanted to know how to cook a true Tikka Masala!