Letter from Executive Director Laura Vaudreuil  

Dear Friend of RT,

Greetings! RT is abuzz with activities these days. We have some really amazing events that you won't want to miss - two free screenings of the documentary Pushing the Elephant, which will be followed by a moving panel discussion with RT student Jean Claude and staff member Lauren Markham.

Looking back, 2010 was an incredible year of growth for RT. I hope you'll take a look at our annual report and learn more about the students, supporters and programs that have made RT what it is today.  

And as the flowering trees begin to show their blooms here in the Bay Area, some of our new programs for 2011 are beginning to blossom, too. RT just launched the Refugee Citizenship Program to help Liberian and other refugees prepare for the U.S. citizenship exam. Going through the naturalization process is an extremely empowering and joyful experience, and I look forward to sharing some of our success stories with you as the project proceeds.

I'm also proud to announce that RT will be expanding its youth program to provide additional tutoring and mentoring for refugee foster youth. Many of us can only imagine what it must be like to live through the experience as a refugee and come to the U.S. without any of our family members. RT is honored to have the opportunity to work with some of the Bay's Area's most courageous youth.

With gratitude for your support,

Laura Vaudreuil

Executive Director

Pushing the Elephant: Film Screening

This March, the Emmy award-winning series Independent Lens is screening an exciting new documentary, Pushing the Elephant, in both San Francisco and Oakland. Pushing the Elephant looks the life of Rose Mapendo, a Congolese refugee woman who was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for her advocacy. (Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this article for a more detailed synopsis of the film.)

Independent Lens has asked an RT student Jean Claude and staff member Lauren Markham to speak on the post-screening panels. The showings are FREE, and are meant to educate and motivate the community to take action. RT is excited to have this opportunity to discuss our work with refugees here at home - and we invite all our volunteers to come celebrate our work by attending one of the screenings (see Upcoming Events for dates)! 

More about Pushing the Elephant: When civil war came to Rose's Congolese village, she was separated from her five-year-old daughter, Nagabire. Rose managed to escape with nine of her 10 children and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. More than a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the U.S. where they must come to terms with the past and build a new future.

Check Out RT's Annual Report

We're proud to announce the release of our 2010 annual report!

Take a look to read testimonials from our students, volunteers, and supporters, and the story of RT's amazing growth over the past year.

Introducing New Board Member Nilima Patel

We're happy to announce that a new member has joined our board of directors!

Nilima Patel joined the Refugee Transitions Board in January 2011 and is an associate in the Business Transactions Group at Farella Braun + Martel LLP.   

For her full bio see the board of directors page on the RT website.  

Meet Anh Vu - RT's South Bay Family Resource Coordinator

Please join us in welcoming Anh Vu to the RT team! Anh will be working directly with Elsa Amboy in our new San Jose office.

Anh joined RT in February 2011 as our Family Resource Coordinator. She will be providing family support services, training RT's refugee interns, and supporting volunteer tutors. Anh came to the U.S. ten years ago from Vietnam and has lived in the South Bay for five years.

As an immigrant herself, Anh understands the challenges that refugee and immigrant families face daily. Prior to working at RT, she worked with the Kinship Program to provide support for the elderly in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has a B.A. in social work from the University of South Florida.

Insights from Vijay Venugopal,
RT Volunteer and Donor

Vijay Venugopal started as an RT volunteer in October 2007 when he was matched with a family from Tibet. Since Vijay started his volunteer commitment, he has been instrumental in helping the family achieve their goals. He played a large role in helping Tashi (far right in photo) gain the skills needed to pass the high school exit exam and go on to college with the goal of going into the medical field. Proudly Vijay told us that Tashi chose this field "so that he can do his bit to support his family that sacrificed so much for his well-being."