Eat Out for Us: Papalino's Pizza

We apologize for the definite lack of posts in the past month.  With the holidays and then the elders being on break for January, the staff and interns have been using this time to get some program planning and logistical issues worked out.  Be assured, we are still hard at work for the elders!

Just one of the things our interns have been working on is our next Eat Out for Us event at Papalino's Pizza!  Join us on Friday, February 10th at Papalino's (either at UofL- 337 W. Cardinal Blvd or the Highlands- 947 Baxter Ave) and help support the Elder Program.  For every flyer (below) brought in, Papalino's will donate $1.00 to the elders!  For example, if you have a group of five friends eating together, each individual should bring a flyer to Papalino's; we'll then receive $5.00!  This event lasts all day and as mentioned before, is good at both locations!

Papalino's for lunch AND dinner?!?!  What could be better???  Here is the flyer (click to enlarge, save, and print):

Help us by spreading the word to your coworkers, neighbors, classmates, family, and friends!  Let's pack out Papalino's and help raise money for the Elder Program!!!

Eat Out for Us: Buckhead's

Buckhead Mountain Grill is supporting the Elder Program in our Eat Out for Us series!  Come enjoy some post-Christmas food at Buckhead's on Bardstown Road on Tuesday, December 27th and help support the Elder Program.  Twenty percent of your check will be donated to the Elder Program and you'll get to enjoy some great food at the same time!

Just like with our Chick-fil-A Eat Out for Us event, you'll need to bring in a flyer in order for the 20% to be donated.  Be sure to print off the flyer and share with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and random strangers!  You can enjoy lunch or dinner and support a good cause.  Click on the flyer to save and print:

The Piano Man

You may remember when we mentioned we've got some pretty talented elders and you probably remember when we shared Ler Htoo playing a snippet of The Star Spangled Banner in honour of Veteran's Day.  The same day Ler Htoo shared his rendition of the national anthem, another one of our amazing elders walked over to the piano and started playing the ivory keys.  We learned that not only can Tara play some beautiful music, he can sing as well.  He is the refugee elder version of the Piano Man!

Just Creations: Community Shopping Night

Join us for a community shopping night this Friday, December 2nd at Just Creations!

Just Creations is a non-profit fair trade store that carries merchandise from over 45 different countries; you can purchase home decor items, musical instruments, clothing, chocolate, coffee, and an array of many other amazing hand-crafted fair trade items.  It really is a great place to shop for unique and inspiring gifts!

Just Creations also gives back to the local community by hosting community shopping events.  On select nights, the store is open after hours for customers; a percentage of the profits are then donated to the non-profit or group hosting the community shopping night.  KRM will be hosting one of these community shopping nights this Friday!

Come start (or finish) your holiday shopping at Just Creations on Friday, December 2nd from 6:00-8:00 pm and 15% of the sales will be donated to KRM.  Just Creations is located at 2722 Frankfort Avenue in Crescent Hill.  We hope to see you there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The elders wish you a happy Thanksgiving!  Last week, we held a mini-Thanksgiving meal with the elders; we wanted them to be able to taste many of the traditional American Thanksgiving foods.  Several staff and volunteers brought in their favourite Thanksgiving dishes- including turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing/dressing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie!

The plates before being served...

Pah seems to like those mashed potatoes!

Anna serves the meal to the elders.



Chandra finishes off his last bite of pumpkin pie!

A close up of what we enjoyed at our Refugee Elder Traditional American Thanksgiving...

See and Ah enjoy their meal together.

The elders all enjoyed the meal; several of them cleaned their plates and even asked for seconds!  Happy Thanksgiving from the Refugee Elder Program!  We hope you all have much to be grateful for this year!!!

Fun at Game Day!

Several weeks ago, we decided that instead of bringing in a community speaker for the month of October, the elders should enjoy a good old fashioned game day.  Our intern Anna went to town planning some massively fun activities for the elders to enjoy- they had a great time (and really are kids at heart)!

Yusuf works on his puzzle of the United States.

Ram shows off the elephant he made out of play dough- it was beautiful!

Tara plays the piano and sings some beautiful songs for us during break time.

Volunteer Amrit helps some of the Bhutanese learn how to play Wii bowling.  It was simply way too much fun!

 

Several of the elders enjoy a game of Bingo...some of them kept eating the oyster crackers that were supposed to be their playing pieces, but they had fun nonetheless!

Ler Htoo focuses on an intense game of checkers, Burmese-style.

Check out our photo gallery here to see the rest of the pictures from Game Day!

Volunteer Spotlight: Bethany

It's time to meet another one of our dedicated volunteers!  Meet Bethany:

The lovely Bethany!

Bethany is involved with the mentoring part of the Elder Program.  She's mentored two different elders: one from Somalia and one from Bhutan.  Even though we don't get to see Bethany at the Elder Program, she is vital to the success of the program!  Read below to learn a little bit more about Bethany:

How did you get involved with the Refugee Elder Program?

I first got interested in refugee/internally displaced people and the issues surrounding them on a trip I took to Colombia in 2010. While there, I met many internally displaced people and was inspired and upset about the stories they told me and all the violence and injustice they've witnessed. When I got home, I knew I wanted to work more with refugees in my own town.

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

I started volunteering with KRM in 2010. I usually volunteer once a week at an elder's home, talking with them and going over the things they've been learning in class that week.

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

Most of all, I love just getting to know them! I've worked with two women, and they were both very quiet and reserved at first. But the more we got to know each other, the more they seemed to open up and welcome me. The last woman I worked with, Juna, is such a special lady. It had been so rewarding to see her gain more confidence in herself and to learn more about her background.

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

The language barrier is definitely the most challenging. It can be really hard to communicate when you speak different languages, but both of the elders I worked with live with younger family members who were able to help us with translating.

How has this experience changed you?

Working with the elders has helped me put faces and personalities with the stories about refugees/IDPs in the news. I feel more of a responsibility to learn about and advocate for refugee rights since volunteering as a mentor. I'm also inspired by the elders' determination and will to learn. The refugee elders have been through things that I can never fully understand, but they still want to learn and improve their situations rather than give up.

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

I'm a reporter with the Presbyterian News Service and I travel a lot for work. I've been all over the United States and to Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela and Jordan for my job. I'm also getting married next year!

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

I love the elder program and the elders! I'm so happy this service exists here in Louisville, and I hope it continues to help elders and bring in more volunteers.

Bethany, thanks for all your hard work!  Congratulations on your upcoming wedding; we can't wait to hear all about it and see some photos.  If you're interested in becoming a mentor like Bethany, please contact either Jenny Heineken Johnson at jjohnson@kyrm.org or Chris Clements at cclements@archlou.org.  If you'd like to read the stories of some of our other volunteers, click here.