Dear Friend of RT,
2009 has been another exciting year for
Refugee Transitions (RT). We have enhanced programs, expanded to new sites,
attracted new funding sources, and added staff and
board members.
Since I joined RT in 2001, I have been fortunate to witness over 1500 refugees and low-income immigrants progress down the
road to self-sufficiency. I am constantly inspired by the indomitable spirit of our students and the dedication of our volunteer tutors. Recently I received an e-mail from Vijay, one of our volunteers who has been tutoring Tashi, an asylee from Tibet. After three years together, Tashi has graduated from high school, is enrolled in college, and is on his way to becoming a physiotherapist. It's stories like these and the hundreds of others that have made RT a successful agency.
When I became Executive Director in 2003, our budget was shrinking and we were serving 120 mainly adult clients per
year through home-based tutors. After toughing it out through hard times, RT has emerged a
stronger and smarter organization, able to offer more clients better
services, all while remaining true to our mission--to help low-income
refugees and immigrants achieve self-sufficiency. Our current budget is now $340,000; our staff has grown threefold; we are
networked and highly respected through partnerships in three counties; and annually we are serving over 500 refugees and low-income immigrants who are achieving great outcomes.
If you are a current donor, thank you very much for your support. If not, we hope that you consider making a pledge of support on behalf of our clients; they are truly deserving.
Thank you all and happy holidays.
Laura Vaudreuil
Executive Director |
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Join RT's Donor Circle!
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If you haven't done so already, please consider making an end-of-year pledge. You can also join RT's Donor Circle. By making a 3-year pledge to support
Refugee Transitions, you can ensure students like Tashi receive the support needed to graduate from high school and continue for post-secondary.
RT would like to issue a very special thank you to our top 2009 individual donors:
Joe and Malin Wolf; Anonymous Donor; Jonathan Weiner; Becky and Chip Conradi (members of RT's 3-Year Donor Circle); and Barbara Malina and Scott Wachter.
Many corporations match employee donations, so please speak with your HR representative. Your donation could be doubled!
Also, many companies have internal foundations or small grant programs. In 2009, RT received small corporate grants from Enterprise Car Rental and Bovis Lend Lease, Inc., thanks to advocacy by volunteers Jessica Buchleitner and Josiah Bragdon who are employees of those companies. We would very much appreciate your advocacy as well, if applicable!
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Refugee Transitions held two World of Difference Benefits in 2009 and raised $44,000!
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Refugee Transitions hosted two World of Difference Benefits in 2009 and raised $44,000 to provide tutoring and family support services in Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties. We held our first South Bay event at the Adobe Lodge in Santa Clara in October and also held our annual luncheon at the City Club in downtown
San Francisco last month. Nearly 300 guests heard inspirational
stories from refugees from Burma, Bhutan and Sudan and
learned about the great programs RT offers throughout the Bay Area.
A KRON4 interview about one of RT's students from Sudan, Richard Bakheit, was one of the highlights from the event. Click here to watch Richard's inspiring story!
We thank all of our generous supporters who made this year's events so successful, and special thanks to our sponsors CVPartners, Paragon Real Estate, the Presbytery of San Jose, and One Hope Wine.
To view photos:
World of Difference Dinner
World of Difference Luncheon |
| 2009 Highlights |
New sites: Building
on the success of our Oakland International High School after-school
tutoring program (featured in an L.A. Times article, which highlights two RT students, Samual Kanwea and Hser Kaw), RT is now running after school tutoring at the new
San Francisco International High School three days a week. We are also
matching high-need students and parents at the schools with home-based tutors.
New funders: We
are very excited to report successful applications to Yahoo! Employee
Foundation (to support our Bridge-2-Success Youth Development Program)
and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (to support expansion of
Bridge-2-Success by adding a leadership component, and to support
expansion of the adult ESL Civics Education and Orientation Program
through development of a Community Navigator Program, which will train
local refugees to provide language support and facilitate connections
to community resources for their peers). Please click here for a list of all of our generous supporters.
Summer camp: RT
also held two camping trips (one for girls, one for boys) in the Presidio this
past summer as well as a soccer event in partnership with Soccer Without Borders. At
these camps, a total of 40 refugee youth from different backgrounds
participated in team-building activities, formed cooking and cleaning teams,
hiked around and explored the Presidio and surrounding area, and just had fun
together! Eight RT staff, board members, and volunteers donated their time to
chaperone. Click here for photos of the boys' camp, and here for photos of the girls' camp.
Enhanced services: RT has been able to provide more case management
for our most needy refugee families. These families need assistance in
learning to navigate the complex social service, health, and education
systems here in the U.S. RT's Family Advocates, ZarNi Muang and Nandi
Kyaw Min, walk clients through the services, giving them the confidence
and skills to then do so themselves--adhering to RT's mission of
self-sufficiency for our clients.
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RT Helping Karenni Refugees Adjust
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Each
year the Bay Area welcomes approximately 1,000 refugees who have been
forced from their homes due to war and persecution. One of the newest
refugee groups resettling to the Bay Area and other parts of the
United States is the Karenni. They face enormous challenges adapting
to
life here--largely due to their lack of formal education and their
inability to read and write in their home language. Refugee service
providers are working to help support the Karenni toward
self-sufficiency.
RT will be doing our part, with the help of our dedicated volunteers,
to help
the Karenni improve their literacy and acquire the life skills they
need
to take advantage of the opportunities the U.S. has to offer.
The Karenni population in
Thailand is comprised of some 20,000 people living in two camps in remote
northwestern Thailand, in the province of Mae Hong Son. Although in many ways
similar to their Karen cousins living to the south, the Karenni have their own
culture, languages, and history.
For more information, click here to read the the Burma Culture Profile from the Center for Applied
Linguistics.
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RT Welcomes New Board Members
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Melissa Kreisa is partnered with Elsa Amboy (RT's
South Bay Program Manager) in a shared Refugee Advocacy position for
the San Jose Presbytery. In 2009, Melissa, Elsa and colleague Andrea Lee received the
National Volunteer of the Year award from Catholic Charities for
their work supporting refugees in Santa Clara County. Click here for her full bio.
Ko Ko Lay is a Burmese activist who
continues to struggle for peace, social justice and freedom in
Burma. While living on the Thai-Burma border, he served as Secretary
of Information for the Central Executive Committee of the All Burma
Students Democratic Front (ABSDF). Click here to read his full bio.
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| Stay Connected with RT!
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Please click on the link Update Profile/E-mail Address found on the bottom of the page to confirm your contact information with RT. This helps us immensely so please do follow the link!
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Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year
from Refugee Transitions' Staff
and Board of Directors!
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Get Involved!
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Become involved with Refugee Transitions and help support the refugee and immigrant communities in the Bay Area!
RT has long waitlists for refugees and immigrants who need our services. If you'd like to volunteer, please e-mail Lauren, call 415-989-2151 or go to our website at www.reftrans.org and submit an application. |
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