From the desk of the OAR Clinic
By Iliana Ponce,
Outreach Program Coordinator
Thursday | 01.18.2022
2022 is going great so far! Lots of exciting things coming our way & the office is getting ready for the New Americans Legal Clinic.
We've seen about 48 of our new neighbors in the office so far! :)
We've had multiple organizations & churches stop by the office & donate goodie bags for the children that come through, as well as tea packets prepared by local churches for all of the adults that come through. You should see the smiles on their faces! :) Every time they get a gift, they smile ear to ear. These families are soo precious!
We've met some wonderful people so far from all walks of life and experiences. We've seen construction workers, chefs, bakers, home-makers, teachers, pilots, attorneys, professional interpreters - on that note, I have to work on my Pashto! I would love to learn a third language!
A lot of the people we see, know 3-5 languages!!! That's amazing! ❤️ Hopefully soon LIA will have their own professional Pashto interpreter! #goals
I look forward to big exciting changes & continuing to serve our new neighbors faithfully!
Friday | 11.03.2021
We did it team! The first week of our OAR Clinic has been completed! :)
We originally expected 15 Refugees in our office but due to some unexpected changes we were able to welcome & receive 12 refugees through our doors.
Our volunteers did a phenomenal job working with the Refugees & their families. The children loved the play area & shared a few stories, laughs & recited the ABC’s with one of our volunteers. I kept one of their drawings & pages where they wrote the ABC’s. One of the children gave me a paper flower they made - I displayed it by our windows.
A gentleman drew a flag with words underneath, he looked at it & hugged his son as they admired what he drew. Another gentleman called me over to simply say “Tasakor” or “Thank You” in Dari, he proceeded to me show me pictures of his wife & 2 yr. old son in Kabul & said “I miss them.” I learned “family” in Dari is pronounced, “famil” - I’m so thankful for these interactions.
We’re working daily on addressing any complications in order to better serve these individuals - the work is never ending but it’s so rewarding. We will continue to work diligently to serve our community. We look forward to continue working with BCS, our volunteers, donors & community as we prepare for many more OAR Clinic days.
This is only the beginning … :)
- Iliana Ponce
Your ongoing support has built up Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates' legal services program to meet the needs of hundreds of Afghan new arrivals in West Michigan. You can keep up to date with regular news about our efforts here on our blog, social media, and by email newsletter. In addition, we hope you will consider making a year-end gift, donating materials, and volunteering to ensure the best possible welcome for our new neighbors. Learn more to be the lightkeepers our world needs: