Global Gourmet Photos

Thanks to everyone who attended this year's Global Gourmet last Friday.  I think we can call the evening a success; thanks to the generous donations of everyone involved (from the corporate sponsors to the restaurants and companies that donated in-kind items to the attendees and those who bought silent auction items), we raised roughly $48,000 for services at KRM!

Two of our amazing interns enjoy the evening!

One of our former elders (former because now he is a brand-new citizen) is an artist and was able to set up a table at Global Gourmet to sell some of his paintings.

 Lazaro and his friend Pedro, who is also an artist, were able to set up a table to sell some of their work... by the end of the night, all of their business cards were gone.  Hopefully some of the Global Gourmet attendees will commission these two to do a painting or sculpture.

Lazaro discusses his story and paintings...

Mayor Fischer also attended Global Gourmet and was gracious enough to spend a few minutes speaking with Lazaro about his new citizenship and his artwork.  He asked Lazaro which was his favourite painting; Lazaro explained his favourite was titled 'Kentucky Cuba' and that it symbolized how Cuba was broken for him, but that how America represented hope and chance to begin again.  It was a very moving conversation. 

Lazaro and Mayor Fischer meeting again...

You might remember that the Mayor spoke with Lazaro when he visited the Refugee Elder Program back in June. We are very thankful for our mayor and his support of programs like ours!  Thank you Mayor Fischer and to everyone else who helped make Global Gourmet a success!

Meet Our Intern: Kyle

So you remember when we mentioned we have three amazing interns this year?  Well...we lied.  Unintentionally, of course.  After we began our Meet Our Intern series, we were lucky enough to have another intern join us!  Kyle is a BSW student at the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville.  While Anna, Ashley, and Sarah are completing their internships at the Elder Program and KRM, Kyle is completing his internship at the Elder Program and Catholic Charities.  Friends, meet Kyle.

(and his super cute girlfriend Sarah)

Why do you want to complete your internship with the Refugee Elder Program?

I am primarily interested in administrative and policy practice, and I feel that it is crucial to experience and understand the smaller details of the bigger picture in order to practice effectively.  I felt that the Refugee Elder Program was a perfect setting for me to acquire the interpersonal contact with clients that will enable me to see things through a clearer and more realistic lens when working on larger projects that pertain to their community.

What about your internship are you most excited and most nervous? 

The diversity of the people that participate in the program is what excites me most.  I thoroughly enjoy learning about the cultures of the world, and I believe there is no one better to learn from than the elders of these cultures.  I am most nervous about language barriers.  It is hard for me to realize, as a native English speaker, that sometimes I need to alter my words in order for someone who is not a native English speaker to understand me.  I must raise my awareness of this fact in order to better communicate with the elders.

What are your long term goals for your career and life?

I plan on moving on to the MSW program focusing on administration and policy practice at either the University of Washington or the University of Texas and settling down where I end up.  My goals may change, given the multitude of social problems I am interested in alleviating, but I have the most experience with refugee resettlement, so perhaps I will seek a career in the state department for refugee resettlement of whichever state I attain my graduate degree and then attempt to work at the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Washington, D.C.  A doctorate accompanied by a career in research may be my future as well, but we will just have to see how things go!

Anything else?

I love anything that has to do with being outdoors or traveling.  I am also pretty brave in terms of trying new things, especially when they have to do with outdoor recreation or venturing to unfamiliar places.  I want to someday hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which is almost 2200 miles!  I also have a list of sites around the world that I wish to visit; the number one item is the Coliseum in Rome.

Kyle works with Naina and Hong in Carolyn's class.

Welcome Kyle!  Remember, you can meet the rest of interns by reading their stories here.

Summer Supply Drive: A Success!

Now that we're into September, the Refugee Elder Program's Summer Supply Drive is officially over.  Thank you to everyone who participated in our first annual Summer Supply Drive; we have definitely deemed the drive a success!  Take a look at just some of what was donated:

And once our famous intern Anna sets to organizing all of the supplies...



Even though the Supply Drive is over, you can still donate to the Refugee Elder Program!!!  We're always in need, so we're always accepting school supplies (notebooks, pencils, paper, etc); you can check out our Needs page for more details or just look to the right under the Urgent Needs section to learn about what our most pressing needs are.  And don't forget to join us again next July and August for the Summer Supply Drive!

On behalf of the staff, teachers, volunteers, and the elders- thank you so much for your donations!

Global Gourmet

Please join us for the 12th annual Global Gourmet

Global Gourmet is KRM's annual fundraiser.  Please join us for an evening of international food and drink, live music and entertainment, and a silent auction.  Some local artists will also be present with selections of their work.  Come to Global Gourmet and help KRM continue its work in refugee resettlement; funds raised from the event help provide services to our refugee clients.

The event will be at Creation Gardens (725 East Market Street) on Friday, September 23rd from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm.  Tickets are $60.00 ($30 of which is considered a tax-deductible donation) and can be purchased at KRM, online (click here), at Carmichael's Bookstore, or at the door.  Even if you can't make it to the event, you can still make a donation.  Thank you for your support!

And we forgot to mention Lazaro should be there selling some of his amazing art...

Volunteer Spotlight: Annie

Since our 'Meet Our Intern' posts were so well received, we decided to continue with a series we've been wanting to start for quite some time.  The Elder Program relies heavily on our amazing volunteers; without them, the Elder Program would not be what it is today.  Our volunteers come from a variety of different backgrounds; some are university students, some are retired, some are professionals, some are from the United States, some are from other countries.  Our in-class tutors and at-home mentors donate their time consistently each and every week.  I would like to thank all of our volunteers for the amazing work they do; words cannot thank you enough and we cannot truly express just how much your dedication means not only to the elders, but to all the staff and teachers as well.

From time to time, we would like to introduce you to one of our incredible volunteers.  We'll get to know them a bit, just like we did with the interns.  Without further ado, let us introduce you to Annie!

How did you get involved with the Refugee Elder Program?

I become involved with KRM in the fall of 2010 through an organization at UofL called Bonner Leaders, which asks students to make a significant commitment of service hours to a non-profit.  I knew I wanted to work with international populations and learn more about refugee issues, so I was very excited to begin working with KRM.  During the first half of the year, I focused on youth services and job-readiness ESL, but I will wanted to do more...I received an email saying the Elder Program needed more help, so I started coming on Thursday mornings.

How often do you typically volunteer and how long have you been volunteering?

I starting volunteering with the Elder Program on Thursday mornings in early February of this year.  I now volunteer both Tuesdays and Thursdays; even though my Bonner term in over, I just couldn't get enough of this program!

What do you enjoy the most about volunteering with refugee elders?

The Elder Program is great because the elders are such vibrant people.  I love the relationships we form with one another; how many other people can say they get to spend four hours a week with Bhutanese, Cuban, Karen, Russian, Vietnamese, Somali, Burundi, and Iraqi people (among others)?  Building relationships definitely requires coming to the program quite regularly, but it so worth it when the elders know your name, ask how you are doing at school, and pull out a chair for you to sit down next to them.  Lately, I have especially loved working with two Bhutanese men, Praja and Tara; all week long, I look forward to seeing them!  Because of this, every day at the Elder Program is highly rewarding.

What is the most challenging aspect about volunteering with the refugee elders?

The most challenging aspect is definitely the communication barrier.  It is much more difficult in general to learn a new language at an advanced age.  However, the elders surprise me all the time; yesterday, one student who routinely struggles wowed the entire class with his grasp of numbers- he started counting in English and just kept going!

How has this experience changed you?

Working with the elders has helped me learn more about global politics and conflicts in places like Bhutan and Burma.  I have also become less concerned with the general drama of every day life.  Knowing that someone will appreciate me today, even if all I do is spend a couple of hours with them practicing English, means so much when I'm in the middle of a hectic day...Time is a gift almost universally accepted, and being able to give my time to welcoming people to the U.S. is highly fulfilling.  That helps me put my stress and challenges into perspective and keep a positive attitude in life.

Please give us some background information about yourself (career, family, hobbies, etc)...

I am a senior studying at UofL studying French, English and Humanities.  I try to squeeze a political science class in there every semester as well.  Academically, my interests include second-language acquisition, post-colonial literature, and East Asian politics.  I spend a lot of time reading for class, but when I'm not doing homeworking, working at Breadworks, or hang out at KRM, I enjoy watching 'Everybody Hates Chris' with my younger brother, hiking, and traveling.

Anything else you would like to share about the program or elders?

I would urge anyone interested in international relations to try to spend some time with refugees.  It's one thing to think about international relations as what you hear on the radio or read about in a book, but once you start seeing the person side, it becomes impossible to see political issues the same way.

Tara and Annie enjoy the Annual Refugee Elder Art Show!

Thanks for all your hard work Annie!  Be sure to check back as we spotlight more of our wonderful volunteers!

"My Grand Day in America"

This past Friday, another one of our elders took his oath of naturalization and became a citizen of the United States.  The ceremony, which saw 268 individuals from 65 different nations take the oath, was a part of WorldFest, one of our favourite celebrations here in Louisville.  President Obama delivered a special video address to the new citizens, and Congressman John Yarmuth and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer both gave beautiful speeches as well.

Lazaro, from Cuba, has been a regular attender of the Elder Program basically since its inception; he is an excellent student and is always willing to help in just about any way possible.  You may also remember that Lazaro is an exceptional artist.  His work is simply stunning, but he hasn't spent much time painting in the past year because he has been studying so diligently for his citizenship test.  Now that he is a citizen, we hope to see Lazaro begin to paint again and to share his incredible talent with the rest of Louisville.

Here are some photos from Lazaro's citizenship ceremony:

Lazaro with his mentor Rachel before the ceremony.

You can see Lazaro at the front in the middle waving his American flag as they introduced all the applicants from Cuba.

Lazaro proudly holds his certificate of naturalization!

With his daughter and wife after the ceremony...

Jenny, Lazaro, teacher Christine, and volunteer Frank after the ceremony.

Louisville's Office of Globalization had a large American flag made out of cupcakes for the new citizens after the ceremony.

After his ceremony, Lazaro exclaimed, "This is my grand day in America- my dream..." We are so very proud of Lazaro and all that he has accomplished; we are so happy he finally got his "grand day" and cannot wait to see everything he will do as an American!  Congratulations Lazaro!

The ceremony was also featured in the Courier-Journal; Lazaro is actually on the video as well!  Click here to read the article and watch the video.  And, if anyone is looking to commission a piece of art by Lazaro, let us know- we'll be happy to introduce you to one amazing artist and now one amazing American!

Meet Our Intern: Sarah

You've already been introduced to Anna and Ashley, so we'd like to introduce you to the lovely (and might we add, simply hilarious) Sarah.

Sarah is a student at the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville; she received her Bachelor's of Social Work from Kentucky State University in May of this year.  Like Ashley, she is also pursuing a specialization in gerontology.  Sarah has a great passion for policy and her individual project reflects this; she plans on assisting in the creation and maintenance of a curriculum for the elders in the program, as well as a developing a policy manual for future interns.

Why do you want to complete your internship with the Refugee Elder Program?

I have always had an interest in the elder population, and I knew I wanted to work with them during my internship.  The interest in the program came about during my interview of the directors of the program.  The commitment, excitement, and pure passion that was demonstrated by these people made me simply have to be a part of something great!

What about your internship are you most excited and most nervous?

I am excited about learning; one of the reasons I love the older population is because of the wisdom they can share.  I can learn so much from someone who has that life wisdom and a different background and culture than mine.  I am most nervous about being in a different environment and being sensitive enough to every one's wants and needs.  I hope to learn to be more of a listener.

What are your long term goals for your career and life?

I am pursuing my MSW because of the lack of voice that many populations have; as a long-term goal, I hope to remedy this for many oppressed groups through policy change and education.  On a smaller scale, I hope to focus my energy on the elder population and their needs.

Anything else?

I was born and raised in Frankfort, Kentucky and continue to live there.  I have two nephews; Carter is three and Blake is eight months- they are my life and my reason for wanting to have a rewarding career.  I want my family to be proud of me and to be proud of myself.

Sarah leads a small group in teacher Sarah's class.  Two Sarahs made it easy on the elders!

Welcome Sarah!  We are happy to have you- and your sense of humour- aboard.  If you would like to read more about our other interns, click here.