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Volunteer Opportunities!

by Adam Hendrickson

Soft Landing Missoula is excited to share 3 volunteer tutoring opportunities for volunteers who are interested in direct service opportunities with refugees in Missoula. Hands on service requires a bit more of a commitment from the volunteer, but is a greatly needed and appreciated! Tutoring is a good way to get involved and there are options for whether you are more comfortable working with adults or kids. We encourage you to look through these opportunities and think about if any might work for you!

  • The Lifelong Learning Center

  • St. Joe’s Catholic Elementary School

  • Missoula County Public Schools


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The Lifelong Learning Center teaches English as a second language to refugees and immigrants and needs volunteers to help support their students. Volunteers work under the direction of the instructor and often spend time one-on-one with students. 

When: Monday-Thursday, 9-12pm

Where: Lifelong Learning Center

How: call 549-8765 and request an application

Commitment: minimum of one hour a week up to every day!


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St. Joe’s Catholic School is looking for a volunteer to come in the afternoons to work one-on-one with refugee students.

When: Weekday afternoons from 2:15-3:00 pm

Where: St. Joe’s Elementary School

How: Call St. Joe’s to request an application, (406) 549-1290

Commitment: At least one afternoon a week


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Missoula County Public Schools is looking for tutors to work one-on-one with refugee and immigrant students during the school day. Tutors will commit to a regular schedule with the same student(s). 

When: Must have availability during the school day

Where: May be placed in any Missoula County Public School (requests will be considered)

How: 

  • Step 1: Fill out an MCPS volunteer application and background check. Please fill out the “unsupervised volunteer” application): http://www.mcpsmt.org/domain/818.

  • Please print, fill out, and take them (with a check for $6.00) to MCPS Administration Building, 200 S. 6th Street West during the day (better than mailing) – they are open at 8:00 am. The secretary in the Superintendent’s office, Ann Bates, will take them.

  •  Step 2: Fill out the MCPS Volunteer ELL Tutor Application:

  • At the same time, please complete the Volunteer ELL form online and email it to Shirley Lindburg at salindburg@mcps.k12.mt.us . This allows you to indicate your preferred schools, if any (close to work/home), grade levels if any, and times available during school day. You will be an unsupervised volunteer.

Commitment: once a week for the school year

For questions, contact volunteer@softlandingmissoula.org

October Supper Club

by Adam Hendrickson

Join us for the October United We Eat Supper Club!

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

This month’s offering is extremely special because it will be Soft Landing’s first ever Congolese supper club! Guest chef Chantal Nyiramanza will be making a combination of classic Congolese meals mixed with dishes specific to the Northern region of the country. You won’t want to miss this night of unique cuisine from an extremely talented chef!

Don’t forget to call early as tickets often go quickly!


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Where: Masala, 206 W Main St, Missoula, MT 59802

When: Sunday, October 28th.  Doors at 5:30pm and dinner at 6:00pm

Cost: Eat: $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: Call Masala @ (406) 926-6444

Please direct any further questions to megan@softlandingmissoula.org

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Winter Clothing Drive!

by Adam Hendrickson


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It’s that time of year! The air is getting crisp, there’s snow in the mountains, and Missoula’s refugee community is starting to feel the cold!!

STARTING TODAY- We are on the lookout for most winter clothing items for adults and children of all ages such as:

  • Hats

  • Gloves + Mittens

  • Socks

  • Boots

  • Jackets

  • Snow Pants

  • Snow Suits

  • Long Underwear

  • Yak Traks

  • Also welcoming blankets and other warm items!

As always, we ask that items be new or VERY gently used in order to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We care deeply to create a truly welcoming and complete home for families, not burden them with broken or heavily-used items that may prove unusable. (No stains, tears, frayed edges, pet hair/odor, missing pieces, etc.)

If you have any items you would like to donate, please drop them off at Soft Landing’s office: 939 Stephens Ave Suite C Missoula, MT 59801 between 9am-3pm M-F. We are so excited for Missoula’s newest refugees to experience their first Montana winter, so help us make it as enjoyable as possible by keeping them toasty warm!!

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Music, dance, and storytelling from Ghana, West Africa with Kofi Anang

by Adam Hendrickson

Unity Dance and Drum is hosting Kofi Anang for a series of exciting events October 15th-18th. You won’t want to miss this experience! Information about the week provided by Unity Dance and Drum below:

SAVE THE DATES!  October 15-18 Unity Dance & Drum presents Kofi Anang, in Missoula to share music, dance and storytelling from Ghana, West Africa.

 

Kofi is a staple of West African performance and teaching in the Pacific Northwest. His organization, Ocheami, in Seattle, WA, was founded with the purpose of sharing West African culture by providing authentic, quality instruction and performances in African Arts — and to have these experiences accessible to all.

 

Kofi Anang is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Department of Music and Dance. He performed with the Ghana National Dance Ensemble throughout the world from 1965-1972. Kofi was lead dancer and musician with the late Obo Addy, a well-respected Ghanaian musician, from 1972-1977. Incorporating his talents as a dancer, drummer, teacher and choreographer, Kofi co-founded Ocheami in 1978, and serves as Artistic Director.

 

SCHEDULE

Tuesday, October 16, Missoula Senior Center (705 S. Higgins)

Drum class 5:30-7:00pm

Dance Class 7-8:30pm

$20/class suggested

 

Wednesday, October 17, 7:00pm, Open Space (PARTV005), UM Campus

Evening performance and sampling of music (kalimba, drums, bells, song), storytelling, dance, and conversation of Ghana, West Africa — come enjoy Kofi Anang in his element, sharing his knowledge and expertise with Missoula! Free for UM students, $5-$20 suggested donation at the door. Co-sponsored by the UM Dance Department and Unity Dance & Drum.

 

UM classes: please respect UM policy that you must be invited by Tarn Ream into these classes (please contact Tarn with questions, tarn.ream@umontana.edu)

Students will learn the dance Abaja – a ceremonial dance from the Eve people of Ghana that is performed at Home Going Celebrations (transition from life to death). The dance is based on the movements of a bird because now the spirit is free…

Monday, October 15, 4:00-5:20pm dance

Wednesday, October 17, 4:00-5:20pm drum

UM students free, donation suggested for non-UM folks.

 

More about Ocheami:

Ocheami is an African Arts organization that aspires to promote healthy, holistic lifestyle practices, cultural competency through education and cultural development, independently and in collaborative ventures with other organizations.

 

We are a group of artists and educators with a common goal, to study, share and perform West African culture to support healthy perspectives of life. Ocheami means linguist, the representative who speaks on behalf of the chief in the Ga Language of Ghana, West Africa. Ocheami are “performers speaking on behalf of West African people through drumming, dance, song and storytelling.”

 

Ocheami is currently celebrating their 30 plus years of providing excellent programs in these disciplines.


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Pumpkin Party 2018!

by Adam Hendrickson


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This year Soft Landing Missoula is throwing our first ever Pumpkin Party!

We need your help! Here are ways you can help make many of these kiddo’s first Halloween’s one to remember:

  1. Buy pumpkins from the Poverello Center! Pumpkins are only $10 and the money goes directly to the Pov to support their food and shelter programs. Pick up a pumpkin at the Good Food Store, Rattlesnake Market, YMCA Missoula, Imagine Nation Brewing, and The Trough and drop them off to Soft Landing’s office [939 Stephens Ave Suite C Missoula, MT 59801] through October 18th! Support the Pov, support Soft Landin- it’s a win, win! More info at: https://www.thepoverellocenter.org/pumpkins-for-the-pov/

  2. Donate a gently used kid’s costume! If you have any gently used children’s Halloween costumes, we would love to distribute them. Help share this spooky tradition with the kiddos and help them feel apart of their new community! Drop by the office by October 18th.

  3. Donate fabric for our costume makers! Do you have any spare fabric we could make superhero masks and capes out of? Drop it by the office before October 18th!

  4. Make a monetary donation! We would love for you to make a donation that would help us purchase decorations, supplies, and food for the kiddos. Contribute here: softlandingmissoula.org/donate/.

We are so excited to share this fun tradition with our new neighbors and are so grateful for your help! Happy Halloween!

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Welcoming Week Thank You

by Adam Hendrickson

After a week of incredible events, we are again in awe of this community. We are beyond grateful to the families who have recently settled in Missoula, and the light, joy, and culture they share with us. We want to take time to thank everyone in the community who made this week such a success.

Thank you to:

  • The Missoula community at large for attending these events and being so kind and welcoming. It was so fun to see both new and familiar faces throughout the week.

  • Imagine Nation Brewing for being an outstanding partner, hosting THREE events, and for brewing us our very own “Together” beer!

  • Arts Missoula for working hard to make Missoula an informed and culturally aware community and for hosting a powerful movie night at the Roxy theatre as well as a discussion on improving our sister city partnerships.

  • Liquid Planet for sponsoring the Eritrean coffee ceremony. We were able to raise $550 that went directly to the women performing the ceremony!

  • Father Rob and everyone at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church for being so welcoming to all of our Eritrean families and sharing their church with us.

  • Missoula Alliance Church for being so supportive of all the Congolese families in Missoula and providing a delicious meal after the Congo vs Eritrea soccer match.

  • The International Rescue Committee of Missoula for all they do for folks seeking safety for their families, and for hosting a very successful advocacy day.

  • The Top Hat for hosting our Taste of The Middle East supper club. What a success! A special thank you to the marketing department, the chefs for opening up their kitchen, and the waitstaff for making the night run so smoothly.

  • The Jeanette Rankin Peace Center for hosting a great book club, and spreading peace and understanding around Missoula.

  • Sushi Hana for continuously supporting Soft Landing, this time by sharing their ad time with us to promote Welcoming Week and get the word out!

  • Everyone who worked to make the launching of our “Together” campaign a success, especially Gecko Designs for printing the banners, Jenn Prinzing at Social Club 406 for designing the Together campaign, Sushi Hana for sponsoring the banners, and all of you who have supported SLM thus far by purchasing your TOGETHER gear.

  • And of course, to all of the Syrian, Iraqi, Eritrean, and Congolese families who shared little bits of their culture with all of us this past week.

Welcoming Week is one of our favorite weeks of the year; how could it not be when we have this many community members coming together to celebrate each other!? Check out some of the highlights from the week below:


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“Immigration and Refugee Policy in the Trump Era” Lecture

by Adam Hendrickson

Don’t miss this upcoming lecture on immigration and refugee policy from Dr. Susan Martin, of Georgetown and Rutgers. This informational lecture is a great way to become aware of some of the most pressing issues we face today.

  • Tuesday, October 2nd

  • 6:00 pm

  • Liberal Arts 011 at the University of Montana campus


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Heal the Land and Welcome the Landless lecture

by Adam Hendrickson

Join Dr. Patrick McCormick at Christ the King Church for a timely lecture on climate change and human migration. This annual Newman lecture will open conversation about some of the issues of our time with an expert on the subject. 

The lecture will take place at:

  • Christ the King Church, 1400 Gerald Avenue on October 2 @ 7:00 p.m.

 

More information on the lecture below:

Scope Statement:  Pope Francis calls for an “integral environmentalism,” uniting a care for creation with justice for the poor and welcome for the stranger. For the current global deluge of desperate refugees and migrants flooding across borders is caused in large part by human-caused climate change devastating the homelands of the world’s poor, and a just response to the immigration crisis demands addressing the underlying environmental destruction. As Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching repeatedly remind us, we must care for the land in ways that provide for the poor and the stranger, and injustice to the weak and landless will devastate the earth. So, when too many of America’s leaders and citizens call for a patriotism that abandons our duty to care for creation, practice justice for all, or welcome the stranger, we must recognize and respond to the current environmental and immigration crises by recognizing the Earth as our mother and sister and the immigrant as our neighbor – and we must love them both as bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.

Short bio:  Patrick T. McCormick, S.T.D. Professor of Christian Ethics, Gonzaga University. 
Patrick McCormick received his doctorate in Moral Theology from the Gregorian University (Rome), did a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic, and is Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he has taught Christian Ethics and Catholic Social Teachings since 1994. He is the author of God’s Beauty: A Call to Justice and A Banqueter’s Guide to the All Night Soup Kitchen of the Kingdom of God, and the co-author of two textbooks on Christian Ethics. He has published dozens of essays on Catholic Social Thought, over 200 columns on Christianity and Culture, and given presentations, workshops and retreats on Catholic Social Teachings at colleges, universities and dioceses throughout the US and in Canada, Australia and Brazil. He is currently preparing to write a textbook on religious ethics and food.

 

Become a host family!

by Adam Hendrickson

Here is another exciting host family opportunity from University of Montana’s Global Engagement office! Get a chance to host a Japanese high school exchange student for a week in October (7th-14th) as they learn at the University of Montana and experience our wonderful state of Montana. If you are interest contact Sarah Bortis @ sarah.bortis@mso.umt.edu


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Peace Party

by Adam Hendrickson

Did you guys know that we started out as a part of the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center?!?

Fabulous people doing important work. Come join us in supporting them at the annual Peace Party!

2018 Peace Party is scheduled for Sunday October 14 at 3 pm in the Home Arts Building at Missoula County Fairgrounds.

The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center invites the entire community to whoop it up at the 2018 Peace Party. Appropriate to these times, this year’s theme is “Peace Parties On.” We invite you to wear your party attire and join us for an evening of serious fun. Homestead Organics will offer food with the help from local growers and businesses. Beer and wine is included in your ticket price and you can have your picture taken by a professional photographer to capture the moment thanks to the folks at Nice Face Photo! 

Our silent auction boasts a wide selection of goods and services reflecting our generous Missoula community, framed art pieces, gift certificates, an all-access pass to the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and lots more. And of course, you can bid on one of our traditional international dinners, featuring many great local cooks in the live auction. You can also win some amazing prizes in our raffle, like a meal at the Red Bird or passes to the International Choral Festival.

Come celebrate being part of this vibrant community with us. Please call 543-3955 if you’d like to donate items or volunteer. Tickets are still an excellent bargain at $40/individual, $60/couple or $70/family and $10 less for JRPC members—this includes drinks, dinner, entertainment, silent and live auction, and children’s activities. You can also purchase a table of 10 for just $300 and have your own special celebration with some special treatment. Go to http://jrpc.org/ for more information and to purchase tickets or stop by the Center at 519 S. Higgins on the Hip Strip. Questions? Call us at 543-3955 or send an email to peace@jrpc.org 

Thanks the event’s Sponsors: The Good Food Store, Imagine Nation Brewing Company, Anderson Zurmuelin and Nice Face Photo.