Like Tea and Water: One Family’s Journey to the United States

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“As a refugee coming to the United States, I didn’t want to be like oil and water. I want to integrate completely, like tea and water.” – Hamid Jounou

Sister Carmen Community Center is a local organization that works to help those in need—anyone who considers East Boulder County their home—without discrimination. We support people with a wide variety of backgrounds—sometimes with a history and story that is very different from our own—but, in other ways, may be all too familiar.

Meet the Jounou family: mother Hanifa (age 62); her sister, Aisha (54); Hanifa’s daughters Rudi (32) and Bana (25); and her sons Hamid (30) and Ussef (24). In 2013, the family fled war-torn Syria to become refugees in Lebanon. Leaving was the last thing that Hanifa wanted to do.

“In the beginning, I refused to leave. It was my home—my country. I was going to wait for the war to end.” – Hanifa

Hanifa’s younger children evacuated with the United Nations for safety, leaving only her son, Hamid, to stay with her. They held out as long as they dared—until there was no electricity, gas, or running water. They burned their belongings for warmth while shooting rampaged in the streets. Finally, having no other recourse, they left secretly in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs, so as to stay hidden from soldiers.

The next 6 years were spent in a refugee camp in Lebanon, where the family was known for their dedication to helping others. Most days were spent caring for their fellow refugees and volunteering with their church, Horizons International. Bana would greet new refugee families and help them get settled by providing clothes, household items, and other necessities.

Their hard work and empathy caught the eye of Kathy, one of our Lafayette neighbors, who went to Lebanon on a mission trip with Horizon in 2016. Despite the language barrier, she discovered a fondness for this amazing self-sacrificing family and offered to become their sponsor as immigrants to the United States.

Kathy often says to them, “You’ve lived your life serving other people. Now it’s your turn to let others help you.”

Immigrating to the U.S. wasn’t easy. The next few years were spent in a web of bureaucracy, forever waiting to hear if they’d been approved and tediously completing medical exams. Finally, the family moved to Lafayette in 2019 with Kathy as their host.

Many local resources were available for the family, including Sister Carmen Community Center. Zoya—a full-time Advocate at Sister Carmen and a fluent Arabic speaker—was able to connect with the family not only through language, but on a community and cultural level. She introduced them to others who spoke Arabic, connected them with free English classes at Intercambio, and continues to assist them in navigating the new country. Zoya also assists in translating for seemingly simple tasks, like getting a bank account or permit to drive, but ones that make a world of difference and allow them to be active members of society.

Within weeks of being in the United States, the 4 adult children all had jobs, permits to drive, and were learning English. Rudi works with Horizon in Boulder, Ussef at Flatirons Community Church, and Hamid and Bana at King Soopers. Weekly, they carpool to their church in Aurora, the only Arabic-speaking church in the area.

The Jounous are looking towards the future: Bana loves to bake and cook, and one day would like to open a restaurant, “or become a translator, like Zoya!” Ussef wants to go into movie production and tell people about his story. Hamid wishes to become a pastor. Rudi wants to focus on her English and do any job that involves helping people.

When asked why they wanted to share their story they gave two reasons: “We want to encourage other refugees, let them know that America is still a land of opportunity, that people are nice and welcoming. And we want to make a good example of what refugees can be: hard working, learning English, and striving for a better life here.” -Hamid

Over the coming months, many of us will enjoy visits from friends and family. We’ll welcome them into our warm home and offer them a meal at our table. As we do, let us not forget those who are still trying to make a home of their own, picking up the pieces of one that was left behind. In donating this holiday season, you will earn the gratitude of thousands of people directly benefiting from the efforts of Sister Carmen Community Center—those from near and far.

Please consider the profound impact your gift can make for each of these people in your community. You can make a difference today by donating securely online at ColoradoGives.org/SisterCarmen.

Holiday Turkeys

Food Drives at Sister Carmen: From Massive to Minuscule, They All Have a Monumental Impact

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We at Sister Carmen receive thousands of pounds of food donations from hundreds of different places; from local grocery stores and family farms, to small community gardens and restaurants. We collect, process, and distribute upwards of 200,000 pounds of food every month to families in Lafayette. Sister Carmen depends on the kindness of our community to support our efforts. And we don’t just rely on grocery stores and big companies, but many involved and motivated people from all over Boulder County!

Many of our donations are from private individuals and groups coming together to run food drives that help stock our shelves. These drives are not only crucial at bringing in literally tons of food every year, but they’re also a great way for people to get involved on a personal level. Running a food drive brings us together as a community and helps break down barriers.

So far this year, we have received over 150,000 pounds of food through food drives that are run by individuals and organizations.  These people see the important work Sister Carmen does for literally thousands of people a year, they understand the need that we have, and they work to fill the gap between what we receive from other sources and what we need to fill our shelves.

Often, food drives are run by larger organizations, and we will see a huge impact from groups of 100 or more. Techtonic, a local software-development company based in Boulder ran their very first food drive for us in October, a time of year that we tend to have low inventory in our food bank. They raised 514 pounds of food for our families! After such a successful drive, we hope they will do many more.

One of Techtonic’s employees mentioned their reasoning for running a drive this year, “Techtonic made the decision to hold a food drive because community is important to us and we wanted to be sure that we were taking care of ours. Our mission supports changing people’s lives and we felt it was important to give back and support the people in our area.”

Additionally, we also have schools and faith-based organizations that bring in large hauls. Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette holds a major food drive for us in the spring that brings in about half of all our food drive donations every year. Recently, Flatirons also started to run a Turkey Drive for us in November, where, this season, we collected about 200 turkeys and over $15,000 in cash and gift cards!

Likewise, Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette ran their annual drive this month and collected thousands of pounds of food to stock our shelves! Peak to Peak students compete, each school level against the other, all working together to bring in food and other items that our families might need. These drives are crucial to our ability to serve our families and are what help us get through many of the leaner times.

But we can’t forget about the smaller groups and the collective impact they make. Many of our food drives come are run by just a collection of friends or one committed person who puts in a lot of work to bring in an impressive haul. That’s what Keith Summers does every year when he runs his drive.

Keith works tirelessly to collect non-perishable food while also running an online GoFundMe to collect money that he shops with; this year he was able to donate over 700 pounds! This is really impactful because he asks what we need specifically at that moment and then goes and buys just that. He is able to bring in many high need items that we tend to run low on, such as cooking oil, flour, fruit, and even diapers.  Keith has a deep connection to giving, and his annual food drive is no different. He started his canned food drive 8 years ago, and it has evolved over time.

“My father’s birthday is in October and we used to do the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as balloon holders. My pops was a quiet guy around us but it was the one time of year he was himself. He passed in 2005 from a heart attack. I was feeling a bit bummed out, and I decided to do something in his memory. I posted an event on [Facebook] for people to clean out their pantries and I would collect their cans and drop them off at the Boulder Homeless Shelter. It felt great to see everyone’s support and even better to drop the supplies off knowing they would make an impact in people’s lives. I decided to switch the drop off to Sister Carmen to help make an impact in the community where I live. Each year, I try to think of ways to make it easy for people to donate and to create community around the holidays. I believe we are stronger by strength in numbers and that people want to support others. I just provide the forum to help bring us all together for a good cause. I honestly love seeing how people come together to make it all happen. People give me credit, but honestly, it is about all over us creating community and working together.”

At Sister Carmen Community Center, we are so lucky to have such committed and kind people in our county. Without the hard work of all our donors, we would not be successful in meeting the needs of our many families. If you would like to run a drive at your business, school, community center, or family gathering, we would love for you to join in our efforts! We are working hard every day to leverage the amazing community we are part of in Boulder County and get all those we can involved in what we do.

If you would like to start a food drive for Sister Carmen, it is easier than ever! You can now access our online registration on our Food-Drive page, we have a list of most needed-items that will change based on current needs, and we also have many resources in our toolkit to help your drive to be successful. We love to work with any size group and we appreciate everything from the largest, group efforts to the smallest, one-person hustles; they all have a huge impact on the lives of our families and bring us all closer together as humans!

The Cost of Childcare: How Sister Carmen Reduces Barriers for Parents

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Access to childcare is a serious barrier for many parents in our community. The cost of infant care in Colorado is more than the annual cost of in-state tuition, and married parents of two children living at the poverty line could end up paying 110% of their household income for center-based childcare. To ease this burden on parents, Sister Carmen Community Center (SCCC) offers supervised, bilingual childcare for most programs.

In many cases, parents wouldn’t be able to visit Sister Carmen if they didn’t know their kids were in a safe place—both physically and emotionally. “Sometimes when kids are there for the first time, it can be scary for them—they don’t know me,” says Christine, Sister Carmen’s Childcare Coordinator. “I try to make that easy for them. A lot of times that means getting down and sitting on the floor and saying ‘check out this toy’ or ‘your mom is going to be right in that room.’ ”

Christine is responsible for ensuring that childcare professionals are available while parents attend programs such as Nurturing Parenting classes, nutrition classes, the Family Leadership Training Institute, and Family Fun Night. (Unlike daycare, however, parents must stay on-site.) Co-located agencies also use the childcare room and either bring their own providers or collaborate with Sister Carmen. On a busy week, Christine coordinates support for 45 – 50 kids. “It’s really cool seeing the kids grow,” she says. “There are some who couldn’t walk when they first came, and now they’re running down the hall. Some were too shy to speak, and now they’re talking up a storm.”

 Sister Carmen’s on-site community garden is a special part of the childcare program, with opportunities for kids to get their hands dirty and learn where food comes from. “You should see the amazement when they pull a carrot—it’s fun to share in that,” says Christine. “Robyn [SCCC’s Garden Coordinator] is great at accommodating the space, finding herbs that smell good, and picking edible flowers for the kids to try. This spring when the irises were growing, I took a couple boys out there to cut some and put them in a vase for their mom.”

The childcare room is small, and aside from the garden, Sister Carmen doesn’t have a playground. “We have to get creative with the space,” says Christine. The warehouse often becomes a craft room, the conference room white board turns into a gallery wall, and the front reception area transforms into a theater for watching movies.

Whether exploring the garden or simply discovering a new toy in the playroom, children at Sister Carmen are supported alongside their parents so that the whole family can thrive.

To learn more about childcare at Sister Carmen, contact christine@sistercarmen.org.

Bridging Digital Divides: Addressing Digital Inequity in our Community

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey, 11,899 Boulder County residents don’t have a computer or Internet subscription in their home. The populations most impacted by digital inequity are high school graduates who are unemployed or not in the labor force, those who identify as Hispanic, and residents 65 years or older.

To address this challenge, Sister Carmen Community Center partnered with Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and several other area organizations and to create a new program—Bridging Digital Divides (BDD). BDD connects underserved families and individuals with digital resources that they would otherwise not be able to access on their own. BDD promotes digital equity by providing affordable technology to low-income households, teaching basic computer skills to individuals that need them, and collaborating with other agencies to create a sustainable and community-driven movement towards digital equity.

During the program’s first year in 2018, 10 digital literacy series were launched with 145 participants, 90% of whom were women. The series consisted of 8 two-hour classes, in Spanish, covering the basics of email, internet search and security, scams and phishing, typing and word-processing, and the navigation of local online resources such as the BVSD parent portal. Childcare and dinner were provided, as well as a Chromebook for participants with perfect attendance. We are proud to announce a graduation rate of 98%!

Broadband Internet access is another crucial part of bridging the gap. BDD is currently assisting participants with Internet access through a partnership with Livewire and Comcast’s discount program. So far, BDD has connected 38% of participants who indicated that they did not have broadband Internet service at home.

All participants last year were Latino, but BDD plans to add a bilingual series in 2019 to reach low-income English-speaking participants and seniors. This spring, BDD will also hold 5 classes in Boulder, Lafayette, and Broomfield, including an experimental Level II class. Participants in the Level II classes will also serve as volunteers in the Level I classes, which empowers alumni to share their new skills.

Want to get involved? We’re always looking for volunteers to assist with classes! Contact Lara for more information.

Conquering Obstacles: How WorkLife Partnership and SCCC Support Underemployed Workers

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Sister Carmen Community Center recently partnered with WorkLife Partnership, which is a social enterprise nonprofit that connects employees in need with community resources and opportunities to increase job skills. Navigators connect members with resources, and Upskill Coaches provide training for soft skills, workplace communication, and other traits to help underemployed participants reach their fullest potential.

“Underemployment” refers to employed workers that are not necessarily reaching their workplace potential. Some obstacles keeping participants underemployed are the lack of communication and workplace problem solving skills, lack of resources for training, lack of soft skills, or a variety of other life factors.

As an Upskill Coach, Amy helps participants build their own plans to address these obstacles. These meetings focus on long-term and educational goals, which are often one in the same. Through coaching, participants build soft skills, develop communication, and create their own toolbox of goal-setting resources. Coaching also fosters community connections and emphasizes employee engagement and retention services.

Amy meets with participants once their other necessities – such as food and stable housing– have been secured. Success is much more likely without worrying about access to basic needs, and WorkLife’s partnership with Sister Carmen makes it easier to ensure these necessities have been met. If participants bring up other issues during their time with Amy, she can easily refer them to the proper department on-site at Sister Carmen.

Amy has experienced the power of mentorship firsthand. “I started college at age 26 with a GED and a 5 year-old,” she says. After working in higher education and workforce development, Amy believes “mentors are transformational and hold valuable keys to poverty reduction.”

Amy’s favorite part of the job is helping participants get excited again and finding the keys to their own success. When participants feel stuck and hopeless, she helps them plan a roadmap. Options and choices emerge where none existed before.

To learn more, visit www.worklifepartnership.org

Nina’s Story

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Nina lived her life knowing she always had enough money to cover expenses and  the
means to get what she needed.

When she and her husband divorced her life changed dramatically. The emotional burden
of the divorce weighed on her heavily and she became very depressed.

Initially, Nina received alimony to cover living expenses for her and her daughter.  As she moved
forward and worked towards re-defining her life as single woman her economic lifeline was cut off.
Her ex-husband moved out of the United States and was no longer required to  pay alimony. Nina
did not know how to live without the income she was used to—she had always had financial security.

“There was nowhere to go. I didn’t have many friends here.

They moved from their large family home into an apartment. Nina took a position as a reserve
flight attendant—reserve employees are not guaranteed a full week of work.  Her daughter was working
and contributed to expenses for a while, then she moved out to live with some friends. With not enough
income she fell behind on her bills and was facing a two week eviction notice.

“I was thinking of suicide. There was no way out of this.”

She went to Boulder County Housing and Human Services and they referred her to Sister Carmen Community
Center. She met with our advocate Jen, and left that day knowing her rent would be paid and she had some
time to find an affordable living situation.

“I had to admit I needed help. My life was different now.”

She also left with food from our food bank and a list of things that she could do to help herself.

“The first time Jen took me to the food bank, I cried. I could see other people in the same situation
and how lucky we are to have that.”

Within a few months Nina moved in with a friend as his roommate. She was so relieved to find an affordable
living situation and pleasantly found herself feeling at home.

“There is life after despair. I am proof that you can do it.”

Through this transition Nina realized her life holds a new richness and life is not about “What you live in
or what you have.”

“When you look in your purse and only have $5 to last the whole week your perspective changes.

I appreciate the small things much more. Food. Eating.”

As Nina continues her journey her eyes and heart are open to new opportunities and to learning something
new every day.

“I’m thankful I have a job and I love what I do.”

She is working hard to advance within the aviation industry to secure better pay and a solid schedule.
When asked whyshe chose to work in the flight industry, she said:

“I used to hate flying, and I can’t explain what happened. I was looking for a big change— maybe
confront some fears and over comet hem. If I’d stayed married, I never would have done that. Being
forced into a new situation made me see life differently.”

Her greatest hope in sharing her story is to encourage women in a similar situation not to be ashamed of
their circumstances and it is okay to ask for help.

“I feel eternally grateful of the support I received at SCCC.”

With confidence and a new found resiliency Nina is looking up towards the sky and helping others confront
their fears along the way.

“I love watching people fly for the first time. They always look kind of terrified.  I tell them, ‘look
out the window—it’s beautiful.”

As a community, we can give the wonderful gift of dignity, hope and gratitude and the opportunity to soar.

Why Jenny Gives Back on Colorado Gives Day

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 “I’m paying forward and giving back to my community and enabling someone else to be able to make changes in their life.”  – Jenny

 

Community Garden Party Oct. 10, 2017

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Please join us as we celebrate another successful
growing season in our garden!

Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

                        Zucchini Recipe Contest & Apple Pressing

Connect with community members while exploring our garden and enjoying fresh
pressed apple cider.  Don’t forget to bring your favorite (and best!) zucchini
recipe to share — prizes for winning recipes! All participants, volunteers, supporters
and community members are welcome!

Location: Sister Carmen Garden (South Side of Building), 655 Aspen Ridge Drive, Lafayette

Refreshments will be provided so please RSVP to katie@sitercarmen.org

 

Living on the Edge in Lafayette, CO

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My name is Cynthia.

I had lived a good life. I was married with four beautiful children. I worked full time, had a house, a van, and was living what many people perceived as the American dream. In 2008 all of that changed—my marriage was breaking up and I had two very ill children that needed constant attention. In August that year, I lost our house and we were homeless.

This set off a whirlwind of staying on friend’s couches, shelters and even sleeping in our van just to keep my children safe. Unfortunately this lasted for years and because of the instability I lost several jobs during this time. Watching my children go through so much had negative side effects as well.

 We as a family lost hope. Hope we so desperately needed but could not find.

In June of 2011 we moved into a pay by the week hotel in Lafayette. Once again fate had a cruel twist—I was becoming increasingly ill and required several surgeries. As a family we really needed this home—even if it was not permanent. I didn’t think my children could endure any more than what they already had.

I was lost. I felt there was no hope. My mind was going to dark places where I wasn’t so sure my children wouldn’t be better with a stable family and me leaving them.

A miracle finally happened.

The manager of the hotel mentioned Sister Carmen Community Center to me and offered to take me there to get some food.

I was expecting to reach out for help and made to feel insignificant yet again. To ask for food and be given food that was already rotting or that I wouldn’t be able to turn into a meal because I wasn’t a professional chef. I was expecting some non-cooked beans and spaghetti noodles.

I was expecting to break down, beg, and cry in front of so many people—instead I met Andrea and she met with me in a private room. The crying was very private and her compassion was immeasurable.
During that time Andrea made extra time for me. She didn’t push me out the door. Suddenly I was getting help.

It’s amazing how something so simple turned into something that saved our lives.

I was given food. Real food. Food the children would eat and food I could actually make. Then she told me Sister Carmen Community Center would cover the expenses at the pay by week hotel for one month while I recovered from the surgeries.

I left there that day and wept.

These tears were no longer of sorrow but suddenly of hope. I saw a future for the first time since I don’t know when. I went to the hotel and saw a bright light in my families’ future that I didn’t think existed anymore.

Everyone at the Center helped me so much in just a matter of months. I received counseling for help with PTSD; workshops to help me further my parenting and job skills; food to keep us fed, and clothing for school and work so everyone felt normal again. In January 2012 they helped me move into permanent housing and by June they had started me on a path to a career that would be stable. Through this entire process everyone at the Center was there for me, and supporting me and my children.

It has been 5 years since then.

My children and I have some side effects from that dark time. But we all know that we are not alone. If we need help we have only to ask these kind people. Our lives were touched by the kind people of Sister Carmen and our future became so much brighter. I would like to say everything worked out fine but this isn’t a fairy tale and life throws curve balls. But, we do now have a hope that we lost and a strength from the supportive services we received.

As a family we are able to better face now whatever comes our way.

Thank you Sister Carmen’s for the continued support and for never turning us away when we needed you. We have truly been blessed by the services and support you gave us.

 

Want to help families like Cynthia’s? Check out our volunteer opportunities or other ways to give.

Living on the Edge in Louisville, CO

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“Your neighbor may struggling and you don’t even know it.
I want people to know it is okay to ask for help.” –Tanya

Tanya and her three children have been living on the edge since her divorce.  She has been very resourceful in adjusting her lifestyle to survive off of one income—she found a house to rent for a reasonable amount, maintained a full time management position and carefully orchestrated the delicate, however albeit precarious balance of childcare, getting kids to school, going to work and managing bills.

When unforeseen expenses came up, such as a prescription for a sick child or a car repair—and with no savings—Tanya would use her credit card.  According to Boulder County Trends a family of four living in Boulder County requires an annual income of $75,906—just to cover the basics. Tanya was not making this much.                       

Unexpectedly Tanya lost her job.  Immediately she started applying for any position she thought she would qualify for.  Tanya was already behind on a few bills but now she was behind on her rent and utilities and was uncertain about getting enough food.

She initially came to SCCC to get assistance with her past due utility bill.  Tanya met with one of our advocates and talked about why she was seeking assistance.  Tanya left that day knowing SCCC would pay her utility bill in full, she had food from our food bank to take home, emergency financial assistance with her rent and she enrolled in the Housing Stabilization Program.

“I have a renewed faith that there people out there wanting to help you.”

With an understanding landlord who was willing to be flexible with Tanya’s situation we were able to keep Tanya and her three kids in their home.  Within a month Tanya secured a job, and a few weeks later she interviewed for a higher paying position and was offered the job.

Even though she secured employment early on in the program she continued to receive financial assistance for a few more months.  With this support Tanya was able to apply her new income towards bills that were past due and late fees, complete much needed repairs on her only car and was able to build a small savings account. Tanya felt secure and poised for success.

 “I just need to get to the next level. I got the basics covered. I just need peace of mind.”

Tanya is deeply committed to attaining financial independence and moving beyond living paycheck to paycheck.  Her goals are to get a higher paying position and she intends to take finance and budgeting classes.

“I want to build a strong foundation for my future, to have enough savings
for hard times and to own a home.”

Want to get involved to help families like Tanya’s?  Check out our volunteer opportunities or other ways to give.