MARCH 2007

MARCH 2007: UVA PREMED STUDENTS SEEK VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

Alpha Epsilon Delta, UVa's premedical honor society, would like to develop service partnerships with organizations in the Charlottesville community. Please contact Sneha Mantri snehamantri@virginia.edu if your agency has any service opportunities for a prehealth group - perhaps a program addressing health care disparities among the Latino population in Charlottesville and the United States. At the moment, AED is looking for a service event that would actively involve its members for a day or an afternoon, but ideally, it wants to develop a longer-term relationship with community organizations.

MARCH 2007: COMPILING LIST OF TRANSLATION SERVICES

Miriam K. Rushfinn, Community Outreach Associate for UVA’s Community Relations Office, is compiling a list of community-based and University-based Spanish translation services and individuals available for use by UVA. The list will include fee-based and volunteer services. If you or your agency provides translation or interpreter services, please send the following information to Miriam at mrushfinn@virginia.edu (924-3165): Name of individual/organization;
Phone; Email; Address; Type/s of translation offered; Services limited to certain groups/orgs/focus areas; Free service; Fees; Additional information.

MARCH 2007 AND ONGOING: WANTED – SPANISH SPEAKING COUNSELORS/THERAPISTS AND MENTORS

Some CJ members have expressed a need for bilingual (English-Spanish) counselors/therapists and mentors. If you are or know of a Spanish language counselor/therapist, or would like to be a mentor for a Spanish speaking person or family, please contact Peter Loach at peterl@piedmonthousing.org We will be investigating resources with Region Ten and the Cville League of Therapists, compile information we’re sent, and will then make the information public on the CJ website and in the weekly Alert.

MARCH 2007 AND ONGOING: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: ACCESS RIGHTS PROJECT FOLLOW UP

At CJ’s January 2007 Plenary, a UVa graduate student and instructor described access rights projects undertaken by her Spanish class. One project involved UVa students calling and speaking in Spanish to some 30 local agencies to ascertain what mechanisms offices have to facilitate communication and services to the Spanish language community. Four agencies provided bilingual speakers, 5 callers were referred to a Spanish language voice mail, and at the remaining 21 agencies staff spoke only English, did not offer interpreter services, and consequently impeded access.

CJ would like to organize a short-term working group to follow up on this project. The follow up would involve calling these offices [in English] to obtain information on what mechanisms, if any, they have for Spanish language callers/visitors; passing this information on to Cheryl Ribano to update her Resource Guides; and composing and sending letters to the directors of the agencies without interpreter services, advising them of access laws and offering to help them identify ways to comply with them. The working group may also want to make additional phone calls in Spanish and present recommendations to CJ’s Executive Committee about a subsequent follow up activity. The working group could meet weekly or biweekly for 1 – 3 months depending upon the schedule of participants. UVA students, faculty and others are encouraged to participate in this effort. To let us know if you want to be a participant or leader of this group, please contact Cheryl Ribano at cribando@comcast.net A brief summary on the UVA access projects and a Nuevas Raíces article about it are located at http://www.cj-network.org/cjinitiatives/uvaaccess2007.html

MARCH 15, 2007 : PROMOTING BUS SERVICE TO SOUTHWOOD

Following up its February 15, 2007 meeting, IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together) will hold an action meeting on Thursday, March 15, 6:30 pm, at MLK Jr Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School, to encourage local decision makers to make commitments to extending bus service to Southwood and to providing affordable housing. Admission is open and we are expecting a large turnout. For more information contact: Rhonda Miska [rmm@incarnationparish.org] or Angela Vanderhoof [angela@thedartcenter.org, 220-2450]

MARCH 22, 2007: IMMIGRATION POLICY AND FAMILY REORGANIZATION: EXPERIENCES OF SALVADORAN AND GUATEMALAN IMMIGRANTS

For those of you who don’t mind driving, Cecilia Menjivar will be speaking on this topic at the Center for the Arts, Grand Tier Three, George Mason University, at 6 pm. The Sociologist is the author of Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks In America. Her work highlights the effects of legal, social and economic exclusion on different spheres of social life among Central American immigrants in the U.S. For more information on the event, contact the Center for Social Science Research (703) 993-4556, masonproject.immigration@gmail.com For information on Dr. Menjivar visit http://www.public.asu.edu/~menjivar

MARCH 24, 2007: FIESTA – LATINO TRADITIONS FOR CHILDREN & THEIR PARENTS

This year, in one of the Virginia Festival of the Book free events “Fiesta at Story Fest”, families will participate in traditions of Latino/Hispanic origin. There will be a Spanish/English story time featuring the traditional Cuban folktale, The Bossy Gallito (El Gallo de Bodas). The book will be read by Luciana Bernardo, the International Liaison for Zona Latina, storyteller at the U.Va. Children's Hospital, and member of Brazil's "Live and Let Live," promoting culture and education for youth in hospitals. In addition to the story, children will participate in the breaking of piñatas and drama activities, and there will be a performance of the Latino dance troupe from the Church of the Incarnation led by Rosa Gomez. The event begins at 3:00 pm at the Carver Recreation Center 223 4th St SW. For more information, contact
Piedmont Council of the Arts, 971-2787, pea@cstone.net

MARCH 27, 2007: ALBEMARLE COUNTY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

Residents of Albemarle County can register their children for Kindergarten on Tuesday March 27th, 2007, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Parents must bring the child’s original birth certificate, a Social Security card (if US citizen), and proof of residency in Albemarle county (lease, notarized letter, utility bill, paycheck, etc.). Click here for a Spanish language flyer; click here for the English version. Please print out the flyers and display them in your workplace or give them to Latino clients.

MARCH 29, 2007: AGENCY FAIR FOR THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY

This fair will be held in Harrisonburg to help organizations directly interact with members of the Latino and immigrant communities in order to share information about services and opportunities. It will be organized as an exhibitors' forum, with information tables staffed by each organization, in the Forum area located just inside entrance C at Memorial Hall (the Old Harrisonburg High School Building), located at the intersection of Cantrell Ave. and South Main St., Harrisonburg. The fair will be operate between from 6:30- 8:30 pm (set up time begins at 5:00 PM) to facilitate participation by adult ESOL students who will be taking classes in the building. To set up an information booth or for other information, contact Marcos Quintana, Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program, quintana.mp@gmail.com, 540/568-3666

MARCH 29-30, 2007: IMMIGRATION, ASSIMILATION, CULTURAL IDENTITY

The JMU Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures is organizing its fourth conference with the collaboration of the departments of History, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, and the support of the College of Arts and Letters. This conference will bring together scholars/researchers from a variety of disciplines to address the universal story of immigration, assimilation, and cultural identity. CJ will post more information on this event when we receive it. Meanwhile, if you are interested in learning more about or participating in this event, contact Giuliana Fazzion, conference Program Director, Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, JMU: Tel: (540) 568-6068; Fax: (540) 568-5904; Email: fazziogx@jmu.edu For a conference schedule visit: http://www.jmu.edu/forlan/immigration

MARCH 30, 2007: SOUTHWOOD UPDATE

Creciendo Juntos’ March plenary is scheduled for Friday (not Thursday), March 30, from 10 – 11:30, in Albemarle County’s 5th Street Extended office. CJ’s Southwood Working Group will present an update on Habitat’s takeover of Southwood and its impact on Latinos living in the trailer park. Issues will include, but not be limited to, those mentioned in a February 26 Nuevas Raíces article and during a March 9 meeting with Habitat, government, non-profit and faith based organizations. The Spanish language Nuevas Raíces article is located at: http://www.cj-network.org/cjsouthwood/wysk_sw.doc Since many Latinos don’t have access to Nuevas Raíces, why not print out the article and circulate it to your Clients who live in Southwood. For more information contact: lhemby@albemarle.org. For a conference schedule visit: http://www.jmu.edu/forlan/immigration

MARCH 2007 – MID APRIL 2007: BRIGHT STARS (FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS)

This preschool program for four year-old children provides early learning experiences and comprehensive social supports for students and families that address risk factors that can lead to early academic failure. The schools hosting a Bright Stars Program are Agnor-Hurt, Cale, Greer, Scottsville and Stone-Robinson. Latino parents are encouraged to apply for their children; legal immigration status is not an issue. Submit applications or learn more at: Albemarle Social Services, 1600 5th Street Ext., Suite A, Charlottesville, VA 22902, (434) 972-4010; FAX (434)972-4080. For a Spanish application click here; for the English version click here. Also see: http://www.co.albemarle.va.us/department.asp?department=soc_services&relpage=2873