Here at the City of Refuge we have a fabulous school liaison, Candace. She was a teacher locally for many years and her passion continues to be centered around the education of children. What a privilege to get to work with her and see how she strives to help the children in our refugee families. Her job is complex and can take so many directions!
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After I was hired I learned that she was transitioning into being my supervisor. Candace embraced the training and welcomed me to the team. If I could have hand picked my supervisor, I absolutely would have selected her!
Candace is a busy lady as she helps the refugees navigate the CPD (Columbia Public School District) system. As Americans, we are accustomed to our technology rich environment. If you are from another country or grew up in a refugee tent city, you might not know how to read your own language, let alone English. How do you sign up your child for kindergarten? How do you sign up for the free/reduced lunch program? So many programs have been streamlined with our use of the internet. If you have never used a computer before, the process of all these internet services would feel overwhelming. This is where Candace shines. She lets the community know about deadlines and even school closings. They know that they can come to her with any school related question.
Today a nonprofit school in our area sent in a class of eager young students to visit our facility. Candace was able to walk them through our building and then introduce them to the staff. I was impressed by the level of attention that the children gave to us! How exciting also to hear that their teacher had been an Americorp VISTA! I was able to talk a bit about what I do and about the Americorp VISTA program. Wouldn't it be amazing if one of these students keeps our program in mind and then has thoughtful conversations with the teacher or parents? Regardless, it was fun to see their enthusiasm as they helped remove winter apparel from the racks of our "store". Now we will have room to hang up the spring "fashion line". My hope is that the students will realize that even the smallest act of volunteering will go a long way when partnering with other people. Donations of money are fabulous but donations of time, well, they are priceless and nonrefundable.
I look forward to helping Candace build capacity as she teaches and enables parents in the American schools system.
And of some have compassion, making a difference: Jude 1:22 KJV
Click here to find out more about volunteer opportunities at City of Refuge.
All opinions expressed here are solely mine and are not a reflection of the opinions of the Americorp VISTA program or of City of Refuge in Columbia, MO.
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