2010 Virginia Refugee Day Proclamation Click on Image to Enlarge
World Refugee Day is an excellent opportunity to
celebrate the great courage of refugees in their quest to
overcome adversity and to acknowledge the substantial
contributions that they have made to the culture and
economy of the United States. Virginia's Governor,
Robert F. McDonnell, has issued a proclamation (shown to the right)
that officially recognizes June 20, 2010 as Virginia
Refugee Day in the Commonwealth of Virgina.
(Read more ...)
Hampton RIS 2nd Annual Community Dinner
The Hampton Roads Refugee and Immigration Services office will hold its
Second Annual Community Dinner on April 24, 2010, from 7:00 P.M to 10:00 P.M.
at the Hampton Roads Convention Center/Embassy Suites Hotel.
(Read more ...)
Justice for Immigrants
On March 21, people of faith will gather in Washington, DC to seek
justice for immigrants and serve the common good by fixing a broken
immigration system that tears families apart. We have an opportunity
to stand in solidarity with those strangers among us who are demonized
by hateful rhetoric and suffer from inhumane policies. Comprehensive
immigration reform is an urgent moral priority supported by Catholic
bishops and religious groups across the nation.
To make sure our voices are heard, please join us at the March for
America: Change Takes Courage and Faith. We will stand together with
thousands of faithful citizens from across diverse religious
traditions urging Congress to pass just and humane immigration reform.
Comprehensive immigration reform may be politically inconvenient now,
but elected officials must know that the longer we wait the more
families suffer. Thanks again for putting your faith into action.
Donate to RIS through Regular Pay Check Deductions
This is the time of year when employers provide an opportunity for people to contribute to organizations they care about through regular pay check deductions. Small gifts of pre-tax
dollars over the course of a year makes it easier to give.
Please support the work of Refugee and Immigration Services through your work place campaign.
Designate Refugee and Immigration Services as the recipient of your United Way gift. For those who
work for federal agencies, our code for the Combined Federal Campaign is: 44286. Our code for the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC), which is the work place campaign at state
agencies, is 3405. You may make a designation to RIS through the Richmond United Way campaign with the agency code of 2489.
Against All Odds - The game that lets you experience what it is like to be a refugee.
To raise awareness of the plight of the world's refugees the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has created Against All Odds, an online game that
seeks to build understanding of the grim realities that face the thousands who have fled their homes to seek asylum.
Labor of Love Walk, helps raise
money for refugees and immigrants in Roanoke, Virginia
WSLS 10 - It's called the Labor for Love Walk, and some local families used their day off from school or work to walk Monday to benefit the school liaison program of Refugee
and Immigration Services. The office helps refugees and immigrants who have moved into the Roanoke Valley, looking for a better life. [Read More]
Our Roanoke Regional Office
Has Moved
The move took place on November 13th, 2008. The phone, fax numbers, and email addresses remain the same.
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A U.S. athlete who overcame the chaos of war in Sudan to become a middle-distance runner in the United States will carry the American
flag during Friday's opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Games. [Read More]
RIS e-Newsletter
The RIS e-Newsletter is a service for the volunteers, donors, friends and affiliates of Refugee and Immigration Services of Virginia.
Our RIS E-Newsletter is being sponsored by the Refugee and
Immigration Services Community Board of Richmond, the AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers
for both Richmond and Roanoke, and
Hampton's RIS Education Coordinator. Beyond covering occasional news updates
on National and Virginian issues of interest to all our friends and supporters,
it will primarily be reporting on issues and events of relevance to those partnering with us
who serve the refugee and immigrant communities in the Metro Richmond,
Hampton Roads, and Roanoke Valley areas of Virginia. Currently, a new issue of
our newsletter
is planned to be published quarterly, or in other words every three or four months.
Be sure to check the bottom of our most recent RIS E-Newsletter for contact
information, regarding our sponsors.
What would you like to hear from us? We always
welcome your contributions and suggestions. If your story request can wait
a few weeks before publication, please contact our newsletter at:
ris@amrain.com. Anything requiring an immediate
announcement, should be submitted to the .
Questions?
Email any questions you have about immigration, refugee resettlement, RIS in general, or the volunteer experience to
ris@amrain.com and we'll post answers to your questions in future e-newsletters.
