Hogar Immigrant Services E-nunciations

Social Services Update

The Western Regional Office (WRO) of CCDA has started off the new year at full speed. Along with the general financial emergency and food assistance we offer, we received additional funds from Loudoun Cares to help families in Loudoun County with home heating assistance. As with many CCDA programs, the demands for help are at an all-time high. The demand comes not only from direct calls but also from community referrals. The WRO is successfully building partnerships, liaisons, and other professional relationships with local government agencies, churches, and many other non-profit social service organizations. Our outreach and support to those counties within the Diocese beyond Loudoun continues to grow. We are proud of the feedback we receive from those we help and we know that our reputation for the support we offer and the dignity we foster with our clients are an integral part of our mission. The support we are receiving from a couple of the local Catholic churches in Loudoun is heart-warming... and we hope to foster new relationships with our local Catholic community and continue to grow those we have.

Volunteer Spotlight

Martha Hoehn

What does the word “commend” mean to you? This is the question Martha Hoehn has asked her citizenship students every semester on the first day of class since she started teaching. Over the years she has gotten some interesting responses, but her answer is always the same. “Commend means to honor someone.” She then explains the honor and respect she has for her students. She encourages her students to be proud of their accomplishments and to always hold their heads up high. “These students speak multiple languages and are very smart, but people don’t always see or recognize that.”

Citizenship students are lucky to have such a compassionate teacher and we at Hogar also consider ourselves very lucky to have Martha as a volunteer. Having seen an announcement for volunteers in a church bulletin, Martha jumped at the opportunity to teach Citizenship when she found out there was a great need for teachers.

Since beginning to teach, Martha says that she has learned as much from the students as she has taught them and she sees this as one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. She also loves the people that she works with, such as her co-teacher Diana Ruth. Martha and Diana are a formidable team and students constantly sing their praises.
This semester, Martha took on additional responsibilities as one of the pioneer teachers at Hogar’s new citizenship site at Holy Family Church in Dale City. Her experience and guidance have been extremely beneficial and have helped make this inaugural semester the success that has been.

When she is not volunteering, Martha finds plenty of things to keep her busy. She sits on the Board of Directors for a condo association, tutors one-on-one at Literacy of America, takes classes through NOVA’s Life Long Learning Institute, and does yoga.
Being such an experienced and respected teacher, I asked Martha what advice she may be able to pass along to new volunteers. She responded, “Enjoy what you are doing because that joy is picked up by the students. “ The joy with which Martha teaches is certainly picked up and passed along by her students, fellow teachers, and staff alike; and we commend the wonderful work she does.

February's Vignette

Maria came to the United States almost twenty years ago after her husband was brutally murdered in Central America. She attempted to investigate his murder, and when she started pressing local prosecutors to find the perpetrators she began to receive mysterious death threats of her own. Fearing for her life, Maria fled to the United States and filed an application for asylum. After fighting her case in court—and despite all of her evidence—Maria lost her case and was ordered to be deported to her home country.

Around the same time as her court battle was winding down, Maria fell in love with and married one of her friends and coworkers, who was a U.S. citizen. Her new husband filed a petition for her, but because of Maria’s deportation proceedings, the law did not permit her to apply for her Permanent Residence without first leaving the country.

Tragically, a few months into the marriage, Maria’s new husband brutally beat her. Maria obtained a protective order against her husband, and through working with a prosecutor, learned about a special law in place designed to help immigrant victims of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, was brand new at the time, but was implemented by Congress to assist in exactly this type of situation—to help victims who might otherwise be afraid to leave their abuser for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status. Maria came to Hogar and prior staff here helped her apply for VAWA. She was granted the remedy of “Deferred Action” and work authorization soon after, but because of Maria’s previous deportation order, she was not eligible to apply for Permanent Residence.

Over the next several years, Maria continued to come to Hogar every year to renew her Deferred Action. Finally, after some developments in the law made it easier for domestic violence victims to reopen old cases, Hogar staff successfully reopened her old deportation case, had it terminated, and filed for Maria’s adjustment of status to Lawful Permanent Residence. Last week Maria finally received what she had long-awaited: her Permanent Resident Card. It was a joyous occasion for both Maria and several of us here at Hogar, who have known Maria for quite some time, and have always admired her graciousness, patience, and humble nature. Maria will now finally have the chance to visit her elderly mother and her children in Central America, after not having seen them in almost two decades. We are so happy for her!

Teacher Tip

Managing Expectations

Retention is a huge hurdle to achieving success with adult ESOL learners. Students are typically very busy and have lots of demands on their time and attention, so it’s important for teachers to do everything in their power to encourage attendance and participation.

One of the best places to start is with setting targets and realistic goals. You will have the most success with this if both you and the students are as honest as possible, especially given your time frame and resources. It can be helpful to set one larger goal (such as improving grammar) and then break that down into several smaller goals (like making a doctor’s appointment or getting a library card). This should be tailored to the students’ levels (literacy students will have very different goals than advanced, for example). It may also be helpful to talk with students about where they started out when they first came to the United States, and the things they can do now. Your goal as the instructor should be to show then the value in sticking with your program.

The bottom line is that it’s just not possible for most people to learn a new language in a few months, or even in a semester or two. A lot of students’ frustration with learning a new language is that it’s so difficult to gauge whether there are improvements being made or not. Hopefully, if you encourage your students to celebrate the small victories. As the saying goes, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.


In This Issue: A Note From John Education Updates Legal Updates Social Services Updates Volunteer Spotlight February's Vignette Tip of the Month HOGAR STAFF John Odenwelder Director jodenwelder@ccda.net Lorraine LaVia Office Manager llavia@ccda.net Education Services: Danielle Tillilie Group Manager dtillilie@ccda.netx235 Lisa Ehm Waller Manager lwaller@ccda.net, x238 Allison Corbett Manager acorbett@ccda.net, x243 Hope Adair Manager hadair@ccda.net, x239 Brooke Hammond Pérez Manager bperez@ccda.net, x251 Danny Quinn Manager dquinn@ccda.net, x237 Bill Kelly Manager wkelly@ccda.net, x229 Krupskaya Elliott Manager kelliott@ccda.net, x252 Legal Services: Michelle Sardone Group Manager msardone@ccda.net Cindy Brown Paralegal cbrown@ccda.net Nancy Carbajal Receptionist ncarbajal@ccda.net Mike Elliott Paralegal melliott@ccda.net Hamida Suja Naturalization Coordinator hsuja@ccda.net Christie Turner-Herbas Staff Attorney cturner@ccda.net Enrique Vargas Paralegal evargas@ccda.net Chelsy Weber Staff Attorney cweber@ccda.net Social Services: Dawn Dumas Manager ddumas@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Martha Michael Intake Coordinator mmichael@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Angie Marchetto Intake Coordinator amarchetto@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Hogar Immigrant Services 6201 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22044 T: (703) 534-9805 www.hogarimmigrantservices.org If you would like to have this newsletter sent to a different e-mail address or if you would like to unsubscribe from the mailing list, please e-mail acorbett@ccda.net.	A Note from John Like the groundhog who didn’t see his shadow and the crocuses and daffodils that are appearing, all signs are pointing to spring. Amid all of these harbingers of good things to come, we received some positive news from Richmond that much of the proposed anti-immigrant bills did not pass during this year’s legislative season. See the “Legal Updates” section below for more details. Also noteworthy is the Volunteer Spotlight on Martha Hoehn, a dedicated Hogar volunteer who is now teaching Citizenship classes at two different sites each week. And please see the monthly Vignette for the story of a deserving client, "Maria", who is now a Legal Permanent Resident thanks to the Legal team. All this and some teacher tips to boot. Short month, short intro. But I can’t go without thanking all of you who continue to support our work and our wonderful clients and students. We could not do it without you! Best wishes, John Education Updates We offered another supplemental teacher training on Saturday, February, 12th called Choose the News! Computer classes at the Hogar office site began the first Saturday in February. This semester we began to offer two levels- beginner and intermediate. Both classes filled up quickly! We will begin the next semester in the spring. Members of the Education Team attended the VLLC conference in Richmond, VA. This conference is for CBLOs (Community Based Literacy Organizations) throughout Virginia. This is a great opportunity to meet people from similar organizations and learn tips. Upcoming We will be holding another supplemental teacher training in March. It will be held at the Hogar office on Saturday, March 12th from 1-3pm. It is on Learner Retention. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lisa Ehm Waller at (703) 534-9805, ext. 238 or lwaller@ccda.net. Members of the Education Team will be attending the national TESOL conference in New Orleans from March 24-26, 2011. Volunteers Needed! Hogar’s recruitment of volunteers to teach ESL or Citizenship classes is ongoing! If you are interested in volunteering, or know someone that is interested, please contact Lisa Ehm Waller at (703) 534-9805, x 238 or lwaller@ccda.net. . Legal Update As you may have read in our January e-news, the new year was shaping up to be a difficult one for Virginia immigrants. Luckily we have some good news to report on that front. Last week, the Virginia Senate defeated several of the most restrictive anti-immigrant bills that had been introduced in the House of Delegates. A bill that would have completely banned undocumented students from attending public universities, regardless of their academic qualifications or ability to pay tuition, was defeated. In addition, a bill that would have required all public Virginia K-12 schools to collect data on the immigration status of all students and their parents was swiftly voted down by the Senate. Also defeated was a proposal to implement a controversial statewide 287(g) agreement, which would have deputized all public officers with the task of enforcing federal immigration laws. Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) chair and Hogar friend Edgar Aranda-Yanoc was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: "Today has been a great day for us . . . we are relieved, but of course we have to work more to get good legislation." On that end of the spectrum, the state Senate then passed a bill to expand the state’s efforts to combat human trafficking. The new bill, which is expected to be signed into law by Governor Bob McDonnell, would increase statewide efforts to identify and assist human trafficking victims. Here at Hogar, as we do in cases involving victims of other crimes, we will be on the lookout for trafficking victims and will coordinate with social services and law enforcement agencies as appropriate to assist these vulnerable individuals. Citizenship Update We will be hosting our next Citizenship application workshop on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at Our Lady of Angels at 13750 Mary's Way in Woodbridge, Virginia. Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. Staff attorneys and trained volunteers will be on hand to assist lawful permanent residents in completing their applications to become U.S. citizens. Interested applicants should call 703-534-9805 x 250 to pre-register and find out what they need to bring to the workshop. Social Services Update The Western Regional Office (WRO) of CCDA has started off the new year at full speed. Along with the general financial emergency and food assistance we offer, we received additional funds from Loudoun Cares to help families in Loudoun County with home heating assistance. As with many CCDA programs, the demands for help are at an all-time high. The demand comes not only from direct calls but also from community referrals. The WRO is successfully building partnerships, liaisons, and other professional relationships with local government agencies, churches, and many other non-profit social service organizations. Our outreach and support to those counties within the Diocese beyond Loudoun continues to grow. We are proud of the feedback we receive from those we help and we know that our reputation for the support we offer and the dignity we foster with our clients are an integral part of our mission. The support we are receiving from a couple of the local Catholic churches in Loudoun is heart-warming... and we hope to foster new relationships with our local Catholic community and continue to grow those we have. Volunteer Spotlight What does the word “commend” mean to you? This is the question Martha Hoehn has asked her citizenship students every semester on the first day of class since she started teaching. Over the years she has gotten some interesting responses, but her answer is always the same. “Commend means to honor someone.” She then explains the honor and respect she has for her students. She encourages her students to be proud of their accomplishments and to always hold their heads up high. “These students speak multiple languages and are very smart, but people don’t always see or recognize that.” Citizenship students are lucky to have such a compassionate teacher and we at Hogar also consider ourselves very lucky to have Martha as a volunteer. Having seen an announcement for volunteers in a church bulletin, Martha jumped at the opportunity to teach Citizenship when she found out there was a great need for teachers. Since beginning to teach, Martha says that she has learned as much from the students as she has taught them and she sees this as one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. She also loves the people that she works with, such as her co-teacher Diana Ruth. Martha and Diana are a formidable team and students constantly sing their praises. This semester, Martha took on additional responsibilities as one of the pioneer teachers at Hogar’s new citizenship site at Holy Family Church in Dale City. Her experience and guidance have been extremely beneficial and have helped make this inaugural semester the success that has been. When she is not volunteering, Martha finds plenty of things to keep her busy. She sits on the Board of Directors for a condo association, tutors one-on-one at Literacy of America, takes classes through NOVA’s Life Long Learning Institute, and does yoga. Being such an experienced and respected teacher, I asked Martha what advice she may be able to pass along to new volunteers. She responded, “Enjoy what you are doing because that joy is picked up by the students. “ The joy with which Martha teaches is certainly picked up and passed along by her students, fellow teachers, and staff alike; and we commend the wonderful work she does. February's Vignette Maria came to the United States almost twenty years ago after her husband was brutally murdered in Central America. She attempted to investigate his murder, and when she started pressing local prosecutors to find the perpetrators she began to receive mysterious death threats of her own. Fearing for her life, Maria fled to the United States and filed an application for asylum. After fighting her case in court—and despite all of her evidence—Maria lost her case and was ordered to be deported to her home country. Around the same time as her court battle was winding down, Maria fell in love with and married one of her friends and coworkers, who was a U.S. citizen. Her new husband filed a petition for her, but because of Maria’s deportation proceedings, the law did not permit her to apply for her Permanent Residence without first leaving the country. Tragically, a few months into the marriage, Maria’s new husband brutally beat her. Maria obtained a protective order against her husband, and through working with a prosecutor, learned about a special law in place designed to help immigrant victims of domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, was brand new at the time, but was implemented by Congress to assist in exactly this type of situation—to help victims who might otherwise be afraid to leave their abuser for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status. Maria came to Hogar and prior staff here helped her apply for VAWA. She was granted the remedy of “Deferred Action” and work authorization soon after, but because of Maria’s previous deportation order, she was not eligible to apply for Permanent Residence. Over the next several years, Maria continued to come to Hogar every year to renew her Deferred Action. Finally, after some developments in the law made it easier for domestic violence victims to reopen old cases, Hogar staff successfully reopened her old deportation case, had it terminated, and filed for Maria’s adjustment of status to Lawful Permanent Residence. Last week Maria finally received what she had long-awaited: her Permanent Resident Card. It was a joyous occasion for both Maria and several of us here at Hogar, who have known Maria for quite some time, and have always admired her graciousness, patience, and humble nature. Maria will now finally have the chance to visit her elderly mother and her children in Central America, after not having seen them in almost two decades. We are so happy for her! . Teacher Tip Managing Expectations Retention is a huge hurdle to achieving success with adult ESOL learners. Students are typically very busy and have lots of demands on their time and attention, so it’s important for teachers to do everything in their power to encourage attendance and participation. One of the best places to start is with setting targets and realistic goals. You will have the most success with this if both you and the students are as honest as possible, especially given your time frame and resources. It can be helpful to set one larger goal (such as improving grammar) and then break that down into several smaller goals (like making a doctor’s appointment or getting a library card). This should be tailored to the students’ levels (literacy students will have very different goals than advanced, for example). It may also be helpful to talk with students about where they started out when they first came to the United States, and the things they can do now. Your goal as the instructor should be to show then the value in sticking with your program. The bottom line is that it’s just not possible for most people to learn a new language in a few months, or even in a semester or two. A lot of students’ frustration with learning a new language is that it’s so difficult to gauge whether there are improvements being made or not. Hopefully, if you encourage your students to celebrate the small victories. As the saying goes, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.