After School Dance ProgramMar 1 2024Dance in the Community was more than just a series of steps and movements. It was a platform for refugee and immigrant children to express themselves in a new environment, using the universal language of dance. Every Tuesday from 4 to 5pm in the month of February, the Massanutten Regional Library echoed with sounds of …
Halloween Fun!Nov 2 2023Halloween Fun! On October 31st, CWS staff member Rebecca Sprague, organized and hosted a Halloween party for our clients. Many of the individuals and families we serve come from cultures where Halloween is not a familiar holiday. This event held a special significance as it played a role in their cultural orientation, introducing them to American traditions …
A D.C. Trip for Refugee YouthAug 28 2023This August, CWS summer intern, Abraham Mekonnen organized a memorable trip for refugee youth. CWS Harrisonburg staff and High School new arrivals were given a unique opportunity to learn about American culture and history while having fun. The journey started at the Planet Word, a museum that engaged the children with interactive galleries …
From Bare Walls to Welcome Home!Aug 25 2023Beginning in 2020, Village to Village began collaborating with CWS to benefit refugee families moving into the Harrisonburg area. “Initially, we worked in other countries. And when we were about two years in, we realized we needed to partner with somebody local… So then I started researching and found Church World Service.” Heidi …
Ukrainian Women’s SeminarMay 26 2023Last Saturday, May 20th, CWS case managers, Beth Good of the EMU nursing department, and a few of our female Ukrainian clients joined us for our 2nd Women’s Health Seminar. The seminars are completely run and attended by women. Saturday’s seminar topic was trauma, mental health, and resilience, led by Beth Good. The seminar focused on …
Radical Roots Farm TourJun 5 2023Last Thursday was a beautiful day for CWS Staff and organizations in our community to enjoy a delicious brunch and fantastic tour of Radical Roots Farm! Through our partnership with Vine & Fig, CWS Harrisonburg receives fresh vegetables from Radical Roots every week to share with clients and staff. This partnership began when Vine & …
Computer Science CampJun 12 2023This week, JMU’s Computer Science (CS) and Information Technologies (IT) departments will kick off their 5th Annual Computing Camp for high school age refugee youth. The camp takes place on the JMU campus and is run by faculty members and teaching assistants from both departments. For a number of these students, the camp is pivotal in …
Bikes for NeighborsJuly 25 2023At CWS Harrisonburg, we are privileged to partner with other amazing nonprofit organizations in the community. One of them is the Shenandoah Valley Bike Coalition (SVBC), with their program Bikes for Neighbors. According to the SVBC Bikes for Neighbors website, the program began in November 2015 when a group of refugees in Harrisonburg identified transportation as …
Library Field TripJuly 6 2023Saturday, June 17th, refugee families in the community went on a tour of Massanutten Regional Library. Deborah, CWS Harrisonburg’s School Liaison, helped organize the tour. She’s planning multiple field trips in the coming months to introduce refugee families to fun activities in the Harrisonburg community. The library field trip was the 2nd event, following their trip …
Connecting Culture: A trip to the Frontier Culture Museum!July 26 2023About two weeks ago, CWS Harrisonburg’s Integration Specialist Jean Claude led the cultural orientation class on a field trip to the Frontier Culture Museum. Every other week of the four-week long cultural orientation program, the class goes on a trip outside of the classroom. “We want refugees to adapt in …