IN THIS ISSUE: Amy's Ramblings Education Updates Legal Updates Social Services Updates Tip of the Month Volunteer Spotlight March's Vignettes 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, x249 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, x252 Sheila Sullivan Manager ssullivan@ccda.net, x238 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 Angie Marchetto Intake Coordinator amarchetto@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 While tempting us the past few weeks, it seems as though spring is here to stay! Spring is the season of new beginnings, new life and renewed outlooks. It is time to change out those sweaters for short-sleeved shirts and stow away the dreary winter boots for flip-flops. Hogar would like to welcome Angie Marchetto as the newest member of the Hogar team. She will be joining the ever-growing Social Services department out at the Western Regional Office (WRO). As the economy worsens, the WRO sees an increase in the need for its services. Hogar is bringing Naturalization assistance far and wide! Find out below when our Naturalization Workshops will be held in Sterling, Purcellville and Arlington. Want to help people become US Citizens? Email Cindy Brown about an upcoming workshop and start helping immigrants take the final step to citizenship! Volunteer teachers: don’t miss this month’s “tip of the month” where Hogar artists show you how to turn on the creativity in the classroom. Do you like our tips of the month? If so, then you’ll LOVE our trainings! Even experienced teachers can learn something new so sign up for one of the remaining trainings. Michael Kocher started volunteering for Hogar as a teacher at St. Anthony. He has since helped with coordinating that site as well as teaching at St. Charles Borromeo in Arlington. Read all about Michael’s journey with teaching ESL and how it changed his career path. Lastly, I hope you’ll enjoy the vignettes of both ESL students and legal clients. They are the reason Hogar employees come to work in the morning and they are the reason volunteers give their valuable time. Like the spring season, many of these clients will embark on a new beginning that started here at Hogar. Have a blessed month! Abrazos, Amy White Group Manager, Education Services Education Updates Spring 2009 Teacher Training Series There are three sessions remaining in Hogar's Spring 2009 Teacher Training Series. Registration is still open for the trainings listed below, but spaces are filling up fast. Sign up today! Music/ Grammar Wednesday, April 1, 7 – 9 pm St. Charles Borromeo Church (3304 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201) Katie and Jorge Q: You know what is almost as rad as 80s music? A: GRAMMAR! On April Fools Day, we will turn up that pop (pop pop) music, vogue a bit and wang chung it up while demonstrating important grammar lessons. The goal of the presenters will be to provide practical tips and ideas about grammar via the classic music of the 80s. Handouts will be provided and the best outfits ever will be on display. Don’t you forget about this amazing teaching training opportunity. Games Galore! Saturday, April 4, 1 – 3 pm Hogar’s Falls Church Office (6201 Leesburg Pike, Suite 310, Falls Church, VA 22044) Jorge and Diana There is no better way to encourage your students to loosen up and have fun than by playing games in the classroom. Not only are these games enjoyable for you and your students, but they are very useful in reinforcing lessons and reviewing grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Come to learn, get great ideas, meet other volunteers around the community, eat candy and PLAY! Pronunciation and Error Correction **Only 4 spots left! Sign up today!** Saturday, April 25, 1 – 3 pm Diana and Sheila Hogar’s Falls Church Office (6201 Leesburg Pike, Suite 310, Falls Church, VA 22044) The most important skill adult ESL students need to acquire is to communicate effectively by speaking. In this training we will review useful tips for maximizing students’ speaking time during class, and introduce teachers to useful methods for correcting speech errors while building students’ self-confidence. Pronunciation techniques and accent reduction (a very popular student request!) will also be discussed. Choose as many trainings as you would like! Please RSVP to Erin Maradiegue at 703-534-9805 x 251 or email emaradiegue@ccda.net with the following information: Training Title: Name (first and last): Teaching site: Phone number: If you do not teach with Hogar Immigrant Services, but you would like to attend one of our trainings, please RSVP with your organization's name in the place of the teaching site. Trainings for non-Hogar teachers are $15/person each training. We’ll see you there! ________________________________________________ VALRC Financial Literacy Material Available For All Levels The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center (VALRC) recently released a new online curriculum for teaching financial literacy to adult ESOL students. There are lessons for literacy level students and more advanced students learning English. To take a look at it, go to http://moneytalks.valrc.org/. Money Talks is described by VALRC as, “a comprehensive resource that has complete lessons with teachers' notes, handouts, and picture stories.” With this tool teachers can assess the needs of their students and evaluate the students’ increase in financial awareness and skill at managing money wisely. Legal Updates Help Families Become A Part Of The American Dream This spring, Hogar Immigrant Services is holding four Naturalization Workshops throughout the diocese, including in Purcellville! If you are interested in volunteering at a Naturalization Workshop, please contact Cindy Brown at cbrown@ccda.net or (703) 534-9805 ext. 227. All workshops are open to the clients from 10 am to 1 pm. Volunteer training begins at 9:30 am. Lunch is provided and the workshop usually ends by 3 pm. Workshop Schedule Saturday, March 28th in Purcellville at Purcellville Baptist Church Saturday, April 25th in Arlington at Fairlington Community Center Saturday, June 13th in Sterling at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church Saturday, June 27th in Arlington at Fairlington Community Center Social Services Updates Hogar Immigrant Services Welcomes Angie Marchetto We are pleased to introduce the new Social Services Intake Coordinator, Angie Marchetto. Angie has been a long-term volunteer of the Western Regional Office and is very excited to continue her work at the office as a Catholic Charities employee. She brings many talents and skills to the office including her fluency in Spanish and a love for the Hispanic community. In her free time Angie plays tennis, occasionally wearing pink lipstick and pretending she is a gorilla on the court. We are so blessed to have her in the office and know that the clients will benefit from her knowledge and experience. ________________________________________________ Social Services Volunteer Slots Filled In February we put out a call for more volunteers. We received an abundant amount of calls and emails from individuals looking to volunteer. We are happy to report that all volunteer slots have been filled. Tip of the Month Get Creative! Get Writing! When conducting focus groups and surveys with our students, many of them indicate that they would like to have more practice writing. The following is a great activity that can be used with classes of all levels! Bring an incomplete picture to class, with a copy for each student. The incomplete picture can be as simple as two wavy lines or a rectangular box. (Leave room at the bottom of the page for students to write.) Have the students expand the picture into something- two wavy lines could become an ocean, a river, two worms- let them get creative! Have one or two finished examples of your own to give them ideas. When they’ve finished drawing their picture, have them write about it. For literacy and beginner students, this can be just one describing sentence. For intermediate and advanced students, they can write 3 or 4 sentences, perhaps even a little story. Circulate around the room to ensure students are on task and to help them with correct grammar. Literacy learners will especially need guidance during this stage. Finally, volunteers can share their pictures and writing with the class! Volunteer Spotlight When Michael Kocher began volunteering with Hogar Immigrant Services at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, he was like many of Hogar’s volunteers who work a full-time job and teach in their free time. But after rekindling his joy for teaching, Michael realized that he enjoyed his volunteer job more than his day job and decided to make a change. We recently asked Michael about his experience with Hogar and his career change. Hogar Immigrant Services: Why were you initially interested in volunteering with Hogar Immigrant Services? Michael Kocher: In college, I tutored in an English as a Second Language program on the weekends and really felt like it was a great way to connect with the community in a unique way. When I found out about Hogar's ESL program, it made me want to go back to it. HIS: What does volunteering with Hogar mean to you? MK: It means that students can get ESL teaching for a low price while making a connection with smart, concerned volunteers. The people that work with Hogar, from the teachers to the program coordinators to the office staff, continue to amaze me with their energy and kindness. It's a great way to make each student feel s/he is valued and capable. HIS: What made you decide to switch careers to teaching ESL? MK: It had gotten to the point where my Saturday ESL classes had been the brightest spot in my life for a while. I finally decided that I had the experience with the volunteer teaching, so maybe it was something I could try to do professionally. It always seemed like an impossible dream to be able to do something you like and make a living while doing it, but I figured I'd give it a shot. So I got a Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate, quit my day job, and started applying for ESL work. Fortunately, a language school hired me pretty quickly and a week later I started full-time as a center manager at another language school, which I'm still doing now. So far, so good (knock on wood). HIS: What has been your biggest accomplishment as a volunteer so far? MK: When there are students that are willing to take the English they've learned in the class beyond the classroom, that's the closest thing to an "accomplishment" I can say I've had. For example, when a student brings me a letter he needs for work, asks me to edit it, and I see he's using grammar and phrases he learned in the class and applying it like he's supposed to do, that might be a "big" accomplishment. In the end, all the credit goes to the students. The teachers can give all they want, but nothing matters until the students take it and run with it. HIS: Tell us about your favorite classroom moment/student story. MK: There was one class at St. Anthony's that as a whole really felt a connection with my co-teacher and me and asked for our email addresses. Students had asked for my email before. Sometimes I heard from the students again, sometimes I didn't, but I didn't think much of it. Many months later, there was an email in my inbox from one of the students in that class who had returned to Peru. She simply wrote "I am back in Peru. Thank you so much for teach me English" and signed her name. That was it. I replied but never heard from her again. I still think of that concise little message as one of the most meaningful "thank you"s anyone has ever given to me. HIS:What do you like to do besides teach English? MK: Music's important to me. I play the keyboard (rather badly) and also put together musical revues with different groups and perform them at nursing and retirement homes. I also enjoy being outside, exercising, reading, traveling, and spending time with incredible family and friends. In addition to his new day job, Michael currently teaches at St. Anthony’s and St. Charles Borromeo. Thank you, Michael, for your hard work and good luck on your new career path! March's Vignettes Legal Client Gains Residency Status Through VAWA Lizeth is a special client. She first came to the United States with her husband several years ago. They worked hard to build a life together. They had a child and were very happy. But then Lizeth’s husband was placed into proceedings and returned to his native country. Alone and struggling to care for a young baby, Lizeth met and married a United States Citizen. She thought this man would be kind to her and her child, but instead he began to abuse Lizeth and even threaten the young child. Lizeth was afraid and did not know what to do. She feared being returned to her home country the same way that her first husband had been. She also was unsure how to care for her baby since she was unable to work. Fortunately, Lizeth was able to file her own visa petition under a special law called the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which allows abused women to gain lawful status. Now Lizeth has authorization to work and is on her way to gaining lawful permanent resident status. She no longer fears deportation and is able to provide for her growing child. The smiling and laughing woman who visits the office now is a very different person from the frightened and timid one who began this journey. It is such a blessing to be able to help Lizeth and women like her to gain lawful status, and through that much needed confidence and hope. For more information on the Violence Against Women Act, go to the USCIS website and search VAWA. ________________________________________________ St. Charles Students' Self-Motivation Results In Added Confidence Earlier this semester we received a wonderful email from St. Charles Borromeo teacher, Michael Kocher (highlighted in the Volunteer Spotlight above) about his Beginner class. In particular, Michael told us about Fredy Yanes and Victoria Minaya. Fredy and Victoria were among the first group of students to ever take English classes at St. Charles and they are still going strong. “[They] are excellent participants in [the Beginner class]. Fredy and Victoria attended every class but one during the 13 session fall semester. They arrive early to help set up the classroom, stay late to put everything back in order, and participate avidly in class,” wrote Michael. We spoke to Fredy and Victoria to learn more about what inspires them to be such excellent students. Fredy Ottoniel Yanes Mateo emigrated from Guatemala alone almost seven years ago. Since then he has been working as a painter in Northern Virginia. “It was difficult leaving my wife and two children in Guatemala, but we have to do what we can for our families,” says Fredy when asked about his time in the United States. Without any relatives in the U.S., Fredy finds his motivation from what he calls his “American dream”- to succeed in this country and to be able to speak up for himself in any situation. In his view, English is the tool he needs to reach his dream. 'I need to teach my children and grandchildren that you can always keep learning.' When asked about his English classes he said, “I spend a lot of time studying. If I don’t know something, I go home and practice and practice.” Michael states, “Fredy's comfort level in speaking English in class has improved a great deal.” Fredy plans to continue studying English and wants to continue to improve his speaking. “In this country English is needed so much to survive. You set yourself up for a loss thinking you can’t do it - but you can.” Like Fredy, Victoria Minaya is in the U.S. alone. She has lived in the U.S. since September of 2007 and during that time she has worked as a live-in housekeeper for a family in Arlington. Victoria gets one day off a week and she uses that day to study English. She also watches a lot of television in English, while she is home alone. American soap operas seem to be her favorite day time entertainment. “I would love to practice my speaking more, but no one is around during the day,” says Victoria. Victoria’s biggest motivation for learning English is her family. Three of her children live in her native country of Peru while her husband and other two children live in Argentina. Victoria also has twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren. “I want to make life easier. I need to teach my children and grandchildren that you can always keep learning. At 77, you are told you can’t learn much more, but I refuse to stop.” Victoria says that the English lessons have improved her daily life. She feels much more confident walking into the grocery store or a shopping mall. While Victoria will be returning to Peru within the next few years she says she will take English with her. ________________________________________________ Unusual Legal Case Ends In Victory Catalina* and her teenage son Gilberto* are the most recent success story at Hogar Immigrant Services. In 2005, Catalina married a Cuban national, and her new husband convinced her to stay in the United States while he petitioned for residency status for the three of them. Unfortunately, the husband threatened the safety of both Catalina and Gilberto, and they were forced to leave their home to avoid further abuse. At the suggestion of her social worker, Catalina came to Hogar to see if she had any opportunity to legalize her status. Catalina presented a unique case to Hogar. Spouses and children who have been subject to abuse from a spouse with immigration status, something Catalina’s husband did not yet have, may apply for an immigration visa. Under a separate lesser known immigration law, Cubans and their family members can adjust status one year after entering the United States without ever applying for an immigration visa. After a great deal of research and effort by former staff member Ximena Caceres, and the excellent translation work of volunteer Bill Barbieri, Hogar determined that Catalina and her son could combine these two aspects of the law, and apply for immigration status as the abused spouse and child of a Cuban immigrant. After submitting a carefully prepared application to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), attorney Patty Mueller attended Catalina and Gilberto’s immigration interview with the mother and son. Due to the novelty of the application, and the fact that few Cubans live in the northern Virginia area, USCIS initially refused to approve the meticulously prepared application. To the credit of both USCIS and Mueller, both sides followed up on the application, and after explaining the law again to an immigration supervisor over the phone, Catalina and Gilberto’s applications were approved this March. To add to the happy occasion, USCIS graciously backdated both applicants’ permanent residency status, which will allow the mother and son to apply for citizenship three years earlier than normal! Congratulations to Catalina and Gilberto! *The clients’ names have been changed to protect their privacy. Bits and Pieces Don’t Miss This Year’s CCDA Golf Classic Save the date!! Monday, June 22, 2009, golfers from throughout the area will gather at the International Country Club in Fairfax. Golfers – we need you to participate! Event planners – we need your help! Contact Beth Fitzpatrick @ bfitz@ccda.net for details! ________________________________________________ Refresh Your Wardrobe At The Christ House Thrift Shop Not sure what to wear now that spring has come? Check out the Christ House Thrift Shop! Designer labels such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Talbots, and Chico’s are featured in the first-floor boutique. Also on the first floor you will find newer children’s clothing, brand new baby clothes (still in the packages), along with house wares and collectibles. Menswear, books, and more can be found on the upper level. Shop Monday through Saturday, 11 am until 3 pm and save! Shop early for the best selection! The Thrift Shop is located at 125 S. West Street in Old Town Alexandria, between King Street and Prince Street. That’s the west end of Old Town, just around the corner from Hard Times Café. You’ll be able to have a nice lunch in Old Town with the money you saved shopping!