what we've been up to lately...

Here's an update on what's been going on with the elder program lately! :)

In April, the program coordinator spoke to a gerontology class at Bellarmine University about refugee elders and how the program addresses their unique challenges and needs. Jolyana and Francisco attended the class as well and told their stories about being refugees and how the elder program has helped them in their new home.

Francisco telling his story to the class, with intern Bri interpreting

 At the end of April, one of the Elder Program students, Salma, became a US Citizen! Salma studied very hard and passed the test on her own abilities, rather than obtaining a medical waiver. This is a huge accomplishment and everybody is so proud of her!

Salma stating her name and where she is from at her Citizenship Oath Ceremony

 Speakers in the last month have included Jane Evans and Valens Hasubizimana, Mental Health Coordinators from KRM and MRS of Catholic Charities, and Sophie Maier, Immigrant Services Librarian from the Louisville Free Public Library. 

Clients love to check out library books when Sophie visits the program!

 Also in May, Dee Dee Hurt came to the program to offer a reading glasses clinic to all of the elder participants! Interpreters were on hand to help clients figure out which prescription fit best their needs, and each client was able to keep a pair of reading glasses for free. The program is very thankful for Dee Dee and the good work she does in our community!

Upcoming June events include a potluck picnic with KRM's Family Center, a World Refugee Day celebration and a field trip to the zoo with KRM's summer youth program.

Thank you for your interest and support of the Louisville Refugee Elder Program!

Learning the Macarena!

Exercise instructor Lettie taught the elders how to do the Macarena dance. Watch the video above to see some of their moves!

Thanks for reading!

Visit from Representative Mary Lou Marzian!

Ahmed and Representative Marzian pose for a picture after her presentation.

As a follow-up to Refugee Advocacy Day in Frankfort, State Representative Mary Lou Marzian came to speak at the Louisville Refugee Elder Program! Many students in the program attended Refugee Advocacy Day in Frankfort and were excited to meet and speak with another representative. While at the program Representative Marzian discussed her basic duties and responsibilities as a state level representative.

Throughout her presentation students were able to ask her questions about Frankfort, her job, and obtaining citizenship. 

Representative Marzian  answering  one of Hong's question.

Representative Marzian answering a student's question with the help of a Nepali interpreter. 

Here are a few more photos from Representative Marzian's day at the program. All of the students really enjoyed her visit!

Students were eager to hear about Representative Marzian's time
 in Kentucky state government. Here she is discussing some
of her basic duties and responsibilities. 

Representative Marzian poses for a final picture with all of the Nepali
 and Vietnamese  students from the Louisville Refugee Elder Program. 

Thanks for reading. Keep checking back to stay updated on what events are happening at the program!

Visit to the University of Louisville

The Refugee Elder Program recently visited the University of Louisville for a field trip. While at the University, students saw a presentation at the Rauch Planetarium located on campus. The planetarium presentation allowed students to learn more about the Universe, other planets, and what constellations are located in the sky over Louisville. 

Kamalapati, Hari, Laxmi, and Bal sitting the auditorium of the planetarium
before the start of the presentation.

Tara, Raghu, and Francisco posing in the lobby of the planetarium. 

After the presentation  students were able to ask questions. Students really loved this portion of the visit!

Students asked lots of questions after the presentation. Here the presenter is
answering a question about the Earth's orbit around the Sun. 

Following the planetarium presentation, students got to experience a little bit of "college life" and ate lunch in the University of Louisville Student Activities Center. Some students even brought food to share with everyone. 

Eating among a few University of Louisville students during lunch.

Finally, the day ended with a tour of the McConnell Chao Archives located in the University's library. In the Archive, students were able to learn a little more about Senator McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao.  

Ler poses in front of the entrance of the McConnell Chao archives. His Kentucky pin on the
 front of his shirt was especially appropriate! 

Hong, David, and Ahmed exploring the archives. 

The field trip was success!

Thanks for reading! Keep checking the blog to stay updated on what's happening in the program!

Spring Flowers

Spring is just around the corner and in preparation for the upcoming season everyone at the program decided to plant some spring flowers! Earlier this year all the students painted flower pots in art class and now students were able to use these pots to plant flower seeds that will bloom later this season. Check out the picture below to see some of the students with their pots.

Everyone was very excited to plant the seeds in their flower pots. After planting students were able to take their flower pots home.

Musa with his painted pot.

Bhadri, Hari Maya, and Mon Maya showing off the beautiful designs on their flower pots.

Bal and Nara with their painted flower pots after planting African Daisy seeds.

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Happy Spring from everyone at the program!

Thanks for reading!

Mentor Training on Sunday!

Don't forget about our mentor training this Sunday, March 15th, 3pm-5pm! The training will be held in the Kentucky Refugee Ministries building (969-B Cherokee Road) and is open to all Elder Program volunteers and mentors.

Lisa Hoffman from IUS will be speaking on effective ways of working with elders trying to learn a new language. Please being any questions you might have for Lisa to answer, or if you know of any specific questions prior to the training email awebb@kyrm.org and Abby can forward them to Lisa prior to her presentation.

Please RSVP by email to awebb@kyrm.org if you plan on attending. We would love to have you!

Mentor Training!

Don't forget about our mentor training on March, 15th 3pm-5pm! The training will be held in the Kentucky Refugee Ministries building (969-B Cherokee Road) and is open to all Elder Program volunteers and mentors.

Lisa Hoffman from IUS will be speaking on effective ways of working with elders trying to learn a new language. Please being any questions you might have for Lisa to answer, or if you know of any specific questions prior to the training email awebb@kyrm.org and Abby can forward them to Lisa prior to her presentation.

Please RSVP by email to awebb@kyrm.org if you plan on attending. We would love to have you!

Refugee Advocacy Day

David standing at the Capital.

 

 Refugee Advocacy Day was on Wednesday, February 25th, and many clients from the   Elder Program travelled to Kentucky's capital in Frankfort to speak with their Kentucky legislators. The day was busy but all of the elders who attended seemed to genuinely enjoy their experience at the capital.

 

Raghu, Kamalapati, and Dharmananda preparing to meet their legislators later in the day.

Miralia, Francisco, and David resting after a long and exciting day at the capital.


In addition to meeting state legislators, clients were also able to meet Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Lieutenant Governor Crit Luallen.

 

 

Clients with Louisville myor Greg Fischer.



 Kamalapati shaking hands with Lt. Governor Crit Luallen. After introducing himself,

Kamalapati gave the Lt. Governor a Bhutanese flag as a way to represent his home country.

 

Refugee Advocacy Day was a wonderful experience that gave Elder Program clients the opportunity to actively participate in Kentucky state government. For more pictures from the day please check out the Facebook page, there has been an entire album of photos added from various parts of the day.

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Eat Out Fundraiser Tonight at Impellizzeri's!

The Eat Out for Us fundraiser is tonight at Impellizzeri's from 4pm-11pm. Show the flyer above and 10% of your total purchase will be donated back to the program. Please stop by to eat some delicious pizza and show your support for the program!

Thank you for your continued support!

Elder Program Volunteer Training!

What: A volunteer mentor training with Lisa Hoffman from IUS. Lisa is going to discuss effective ways of working with elders who are trying to learn a new language.

When: Sunday, March 15th, 2015

Time: 3 -5pm

Where: Kentucky Refugee Ministries Building (969-B Cherokee Road)

Please RSVP by email to awebb@kyrm.org if you plan on attending!

Eat Out Fundraiser on February 26th!

The Louisville Refugee Elder Program is having an Eat Out Fundraiser on Thursday, February 26th at the Impellizzeri's on Bardstown Road from 4pm-11pm. 10% of your purchase will be donated back to the program if the flyer above is shown.

Thank you for your continued support!

Computer Skills

While the Elder Program is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12, many students arrive as early as 8:30 each morning in order to practice before classes begin. The program is always trying to find new ways for students to learn and this morning before class students were able to practice on the Elder Program's touchscreen computer. Students really seemed to enjoy using the computer!

The computer's camera was the biggest hit with students! They loved using the computer's camera to take pictures of themselves and of other students. 

Thanks for reading!

Louisville Refugee Elder Program Back in Session!

After a much deserved break all of the elders returned to class today! Students were excited to see each other after an extended break and were eager to return to their classes.

There was also a small birthday celebration at the program in honor of all the students who celebrated birthdays in the month of December and January. Everyone who had a birthday during the break received a cupcake with a picture of their home country's flag while classmates sang them Happy Birthday. The pictures below show some of the students proudly displaying their cupcakes.

Jose V. holding his cupcake with the Cuban flag. 

Ler holding his cupcake with the Burmese flag. 

Hari holding his cupcake with the Bhutanese flag.

Thanks for reading! Check back to keep updated about events and activities within the program. 

Louisville Elder Program Shutterfly Update

The Louisville Elder Program Shutterfly account has been updated with lots of new resources that volunteers and mentors can now access. These albums contain some basic lesson plans, maps, and various other resources that could be beneficial to use when mentoring or working with students. 

Shutterfly is also a great way to check out photos of some of the past events in the program. Please click on the link below to check it out!

https://louisvillerefugeeelderprogram.shutterfly.com/

Thanks for reading!

Winter Break!

The Louisville Refugee Elder Program is currently on Winter Break until Tuesday, February 3rd! Students are currently on a well deserved break while everyone at the program is planning activities and events for class in the spring. Stay tuned to learn more about the events and activities taking place this spring at the Louisville Refugee Elder Program!