Dear First name / Great Neighbor, 

 

In just a few short days, Charlottesville City and Albemarle County students will return to school, and in our newcomer community, the anticipation is palpable! Over the weekend, volunteers delivered 50 backpacks filled with school supplies thanks to our friends at Backpack Buddies. For fifteen years, Backpack Buddies has been equipping children in Grades K - 12 with the materials to begin the academic year successfully. This year, we even delivered a backpack to a soon-to-be college freshman! 

 

Last week, we emailed you with the news that funds for English language learners in public schools had been frozen, and asked you to write and call your representatives in Congress to ask that the funds be released. Thanks to bi-partisan outcry, we are happy to report that the funds are now being distributed to schools by the Department of Education. Our deepest gratitude to all the Great Neighbors who took the time to call and email on behalf of your neighbors. 

 

Our staff is working hard to keep up with the vast amount of information out of Washington D.C. that affects our refugee and SIV community. We will always bring you the most pertinent information, especially when we need your help. On a local level, our staff has been in many rooms where important conversations are happening this summer so that we may continue to advocate on behalf of our newcomers. Below, you will read about 11 important conversations of which we've been involved in the last two months alone. 

 

As we look to the fall, your financial support is vital as we continue to support refugees and SIVs already in Charlottesville. If you give annually, please consider becoming a monthly donor. For small, grassroots organizations like ours, it makes such a difference to receive a monthly infusion of support to keep our work going. 

 

With thanks,

Kari Anderson Miller, CEO and Founder

 

Since late 2024, our partnership with StepForward has changed the lives of many newcomers and their families. StepForward is a small charitable group founded by three women in Charlottesville seeking to help “highly motivated individuals who have aspirations, goals or dreams, but are unable to make progress due to various obstacles or challenging circumstances. They may be held back by basic needs, or by the constraints of a new language or culture, or by the challenges of re-entering society after incarceration, or simply by lack of connection, mentoring, and encouragement.”

 

StepForward has helped individuals in our refugee and SIV community (referred by our IN staff) with car repairs to they can get safely to work, a CDL license to become a truck driver, a laptop and cell phone for adult education classes, and a professional grade sewing machine for a trained tailor, just to name a few examples. Thank you for your partnership, StepForward!