IN THIS ISSUE: Amy's Ramblings Education Updates Legal Updates Social Services Updates Tip of the Month Volunteer Spotlight Bits and Pieces HOGAR STAFF: John Odenwelder Program Director jodenwelder@ccda.net Education Services: Amy White Group Manager awhite@ccda.net, x235 Kristen Gasimov Manager/Office Manager kgasimov@ccda.net, 249 Diana Gibson Manager dgibson@ccda.net, x239 Katie Mathews Manager kmathews@ccda.net, x243 Erin Maradiegue Manager emaradiegue@ccda.net, x251 Jorge Membreño Manager jmembreno@ccda.net, x231 Sheila Sullivan Manager ssullivan@ccda.net, 238 Legal Services: Michelle Sardone Group Manager msardone@ccda.net Cindy Brown Paralegal cbrown@ccda.net Nancy Carbajal Receptionist ncarbajal@ccda.net Maria Cutipa Intake Coordinator mcutipa@ccda.net Dan Macguire Staff Attorney dmacguire@ccda.net Patty Mueller Staff Attorney pmueller@ccda.net Enrique Vargas Paralegal evargas@ccda.net Social Services Dawn Dumas Manager ddumas@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Hogar Immigrant Services 6201 Leesburg Pike Suite 307 Falls Church, Va 22044 T: (703) 534-9805 F: (703) 534-9809 www.ccda.net If you would like to have this newsletter sent to a different email address or if you would like to unsubscribe from the mailing list, please email emaradiegue@ccda.net.

Amy's Ramblings January is a time for new beginnings, new resolutions and new hope for a new year. This year, it also has been a month full of preparation for the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States. President Barack Obama said the following in an online video: “"I will ask all Americans to make a renewed commitment to serving their community and their country." His call to service is reminiscent of JFK’s similar call that everyone “ask what you can do for your country.” Be a part of the ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of immigrants by volunteering for a Naturalization workshop, serving as a Social Services office volunteer in Leesburg or teaching an English-as-a-Second language class. Look for more information below on how you can make a difference in your community! Speaking of volunteering, I’m pleased to introduce Debbie, the newest Legal Services volunteer. Read the Volunteer Spotlight to learn more about this great new volunteer from Puerto Rico. Also in this issue, don’t miss the teaching tip that will give you an innovative icebreaker to use with students! Catholic Charities is preparing to open its Transitional Housing program and needs your help. Want to get an uncluttered start to the New Year? Then bring any unwanted furniture (but preferably not unsightly) to Woodbridge on Saturday, December 7th! Get the details in this edition of E-news. In a year that will most likely prove trying for many Americans, the services that Hogar provides are more crucial than ever. Jobs are scarce for immigrants, especially if they lack English knowledge. Thank you for joining us in renewing our commitment to serving immigrants and enriching our communities. Here’s to a great 2009! Abrazos, Amy White Group Manager, Education Services Education Updates Share Your Knowledge Of The English Language With Others Hogar’s Education Services Department is looking for volunteers to teach evening English classes in Woodbridge and Dale City. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please contact Sheila Sullivan at ssullivan@ccda.net or call (703) 534-9805 x 238. Volunteers will teach just one class a week. Training and materials are provided. No second language is required! This is a great way to meet new people and learn about other cultures. Classes start soon, so don’t wait! ________________________________ Support Our Students Through A Donation To The Hogar Student Scholarship Fund As you all know, Hogar never turns any student away due to inability to pay. During this registration season we noticed that many more students are requiring scholarships because of the stagnating economy. English class can be the first thing that goes when money is tight in a working family, but it is often an essential key to getting a better job. Please consider donating to the Hogar Student Scholarship Fund to ensure that all students have the opportunity to improve their lives and job prospects. Send checks payable to “Hogar Immigrant Services” with “Hogar Student Scholarship Fund” on the memo line to 6201 Leesburg Pike #307, Falls Church, VA 22044. Know that your donation is going directly to pay for a student’s success! Hogar Immigrant Services, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington is a 501(c)3 organization and your donations are tax-deductible. Legal Updates Legal Staff Aids Hundreds In The Final Months Of 2008 A total of 266 Temporary Protected Status applications where completed by the Legal team this past quarter. This number is incredible considering that the team had only three months instead of the normal five as in previous years. This quarter they also saw 340 clients through intake, helped 25 clients with their naturalization applications, and gave Know Your Rights presentations to over 200 people. Next month looks to be just as busy since the legal team is already scheduled to help over ten people with interviews to help them become legal permanent residents. ________________________________ Volunteer for Hogar’s Naturalization Program and Help Others Become Citizens Hogar is looking for an Office Volunteer to commit to a few hours (2-4) per week. Hours are flexible and can be anytime between 9:00 and 5:00 or after 5:00pm with prior arrangements. Volunteer would provide support for our Naturalization Workshops. Duties include: checking messages and returning phonecalls to answer client inquiries about the workshop, maintaining a list of pre-registered clients and their contact info, mailing flyers and making copies, preparing materials (forms, supplies, etc.) for use on Saturday workshops, and updating our volunteer database as needed. Bilingual skills are VERY helpful. Contact Cindy at cbrown@ccda.net or (703) 534-9805 x 227 for more information. ________________________________ Spread The Word About The Naturalization Program! Volunteer As Outreach Coordinator Do you enjoy providing information about valuable services to the community? Are you interested in meeting new people and establishing new contacts? Hogar is in need of an Outreach Coordinator to promote its low-cost Naturalization workshops. This person’s duties would include: gathering a team of volunteers to conduct outreach rallies, targeting immigrant employers and immigrant friendly businesses, establishing contacts with other immigrant organizations (such as international students at Northern Virginia community college), and acquiring translations of Naturalization flyers in other languages. Contact Cindy at cbrown@ccda.net or (703) 534-9805 x 227 for more information. Social Services Updates Social Services Gives Thanks For 2008 And Looks Forward to 2009 Looking ahead to 2009, the Social Services Department would be remiss not to take a moment and express our appreciation to all the organizations and individuals who made 2008 so successful. We would like to say a sincere “Thank You” to St. Francis de Sales (Purcellville, VA), St John’s Catholic Church (Leesburg, VA), Our Lady of Hope (Sterling, VA) & St. Theresa’s Catholic Church (Ashburn, VA) for their constant support of the Western Regional Office. We would also like to thank the flight attendants that work for United Airlines. They have been so generous with their donations toward the emergency food/supply pantry. Lastly, we would like to express our gratitude to those who wanted to remain anonymous with their donations. We feel so blessed by every donation and we look forward to a wonderful 2009. Tip of the Month Icebreaker: Show and Tell It’s the start of our new semester and we at Hogar are excited and nervous with butterflies in our stomachs. It is likely that those butterflies may be affecting you, too. However, instead of giving into your anxiety, there is one tool that can drive the butterflies away and harness your class’s excitement. Whether you are a new teacher or a pro who has taught English for decades, the best remedy is an icebreaker. One of our favorite icebreakers is the brainchild of Connie Holtz, one of our most amazing and experienced volunteers. At the heart of this exercise is its focus on welcoming each other to America, a central theme at Hogar. Even better, it works for students of all levels. In this icebreaker called “Show and Tell,” the teacher brings black and white photocopies of the maps of all continents (minus Antarctica) with country outlines and colored markers (A great online resource for maps is MegaMaps- www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps.htm- which provides large colorless maps). The student will find the country in the continent from which she came and will color it in with a marker and indicate her city of origin. For beginners, the teacher will model the activity by sharing his home country and explaining where he was born. Then, each student will follow this example. After the icebreaker, students will realize that they now know people from other parts of their continent and even the world. For more advanced students, the teacher can ask questions about the host country that each student will answer, thus sharing more information about each other. Some examples include: What do I love most about my country? Where were my favorite places to visit? What do I love most about the United States? After the teacher writes these questions on the board, each student can answer them on the back of the map (in complete sentences) and ultimately present her background to the entire class. Once students know and celebrate their backgrounds with each other and their teacher, butterflies do not stand a chance. Volunteer Spotlight Debbie has been volunteering for Hogar Legal Services since the end of October. She adds much to the legal team as she was licensed to practice law in Puerto Rico, where she lived for 20 years. She spent many of those years doing corporate work, but found great satisfaction in working in naturalization. She helped many clients, mostly Dominicans, achieve their goals by applying for US citizenship in Puerto Rico. In 2007 Debbie moved to the Washington D.C. area for her husband’s job, and she is now a hardworking mother of three children, the youngest of whom is in kindergarten. In addition to the freelance work Debbie does through her firm in Puerto Rico, she dedicates an average of 5 hours per week to Hogar clients. She completes Temporary Protected Status (TPS) re-registrations, writes motions, and performs other tasks relevant to filing applications for the legal team. It is certainly a delight to have Debbie in the office! Bits and Pieces Help A Homeless Family By Donating Your Unwanted Furniture And Goods Catholic Charities, Transitional Housing Program is holding a Furniture Fair, February 7, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Woodbridge. They are looking for new or gently used furniture and household goods ranging from linens to pots and pans. The Transitional Housing Program will be a step between emergency homeless shelters and independent living for families exiting local shelters. Catholic Charities will also provide personal and budget counseling, life skills classes, financial literacy programming, and parenting training. Residents will successfully complete the program by transitioning to independence within two years of entering the program. All donations should be brought to 1423 G Street, Woodbridge, VA the day of the fair. For more information contact Christine Neijstrom, cneijstrom@ccda.net or 703-717-3103. ________________________________ Giant Food Stores Fill Prescription Antibiotic Orders For Free From now through March 21, customers with a prescription for generic antibiotics can receive the medicine free of charge at Giant Food store pharmacies. Among the antibiotics included are amoxicillin, penicillin and ciprofloxacin. This is an effort to assist people who might not normally fill their prescriptions to help save money.