Dear Friends,

I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the warm weather and the beginning of summer.  Here’s an update on Just Neighbors’ May and ways to get involved.

Client Story

Just Neighbors recently received a call from Hanna, a refugee living in Falls Church from Africa whose purse had been stolen.  Among the contents included her green card, which she needed in order to renew her driver’s license; it was her only photo-id.  Hanna was not working, and her husband had a minimal income here as a taxi driver. 

When the couple came to one of our community clinics for their appointment, they brought their two-year old child.  Hanna was anxious to apply for a replacement green card but was unable to afford the $260 fee to Immigration.  Our volunteers and attorneys helped her to fill our the requisite forms that evening and promised her that we would see if we could find a person or organization that would be able to pay the $260 fee. 

We contacted the Falls Church Community Service Council (FCS), an organization consisting of churches in Falls Church that provides food, transportation, financial assistance, shelter, and more to residents in need.  They happily agreed to pay for Hanna’s replacement green card application.  Hanna was thrilled at the news, and she returned to our office so we could finalize her application.   We submitted Hanna’s application to Immigration, and she should receive her replacement green card in about  ten months.  In the meantime, she is fortunate that she has a copy of the green card, and is using her receipt notice from Immigration as she negotiates with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for a license.  Other clients in her situation are able to obtain passports from their embassy, but because Hanna is a refugee, she is not supposed to enter the embassy of her homeland. 

We are fortunate to be surrounded by and connected to service providers in the area such as FCS.  The strength and abundance of social services in Northern Virginia enable us to link clients with other types of assistance they need and to serve clients like Hanna more effectively.

Get Involved

Just Neighbors is sponsoring a workshop with other non-profits to encourage asylees to apply for green cards before the filing fees increase on July 30th.  The workshop is on this Saturday morning, June 2nd, in Silver Spring, Maryland.  If you would like to volunteer, please email Allison at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We will be holding an immigration overview entitled “Immigration Law:  What is a Green Card and Who Gets One?” on Tuesday, June 5th, at 6:30pm at our main office in Arlington United Methodist Church.  In this 90 minute presentation, the first half hour will be a general overview of immigration law.  (If you attended the February presentation, you therefore don't need to arrive until 7pm).  For the last hour, Allison Rutland Soulen, our Director of Legal Services, will focus on green cards, the immigration status that can lead to citizenship in the United States.  Come learn what the U.S. requires of an immigrant before granting this privilege (such as financial stability), as well as the bars that prevent an individual from getting a green card (such as drug trafficking).  We will also explain how someone with a green card may lose that status, as well as cover the benefits of having a green card.  Pizza and drinks will be provided.  If you think you'll be attending, please email Rob Rutland-Brown at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  We hope to see you there!

Around the Office

Just Neighbors has appreciated the hard work of our two interns this spring, Robin Chen Delos and Adriana Blumer Bastos.  We wish both of them the best of luck this summer and beyond. 

This May and June, we welcome three new interns who will assist us throughout the summer.  Mark Gannon, who started his internship with us last week, has completed his first year of law school at the University of Virginia.  His internship is being supported by Foley and Lardner, a law firm in DC that has recently begun partnering with Just Neighbors.  We are excited about the prospect of Foley and Lardner’s long-term pro bono assistance with our clients.

Next week, Seth Gainer will join us.  Seth has finished his first year of law school at UDC, is fluent in Spanish, and has a range of experience with community-based non-profit organizations.  Hillary Kosnac, an undergraduate from Allegheny College, will also begin her internship at Just Neighbors.  Hillary is fluent in Spanish and is part of Georgetown’s Fund for American Studies program this summer.

Volunteer of the Month

Just Neighbors would like to thank Richard Hipona for assisting us with many computer-related and database issues.  Richard has spent numerous hours running queries, fixing problems, and streamlining our database to improve our process of recording and accessing client information.  We are pleased to give Richard a gift certificate to Lebanese Taverna in appreciation of his hard work.

Fundraising

We would like to thank Holland & Knight LLC in DC for its donation to Just Neighbors.  In addition, we appreciate generous contributions from Fairfax United Methodist Church and United Christian Parish in Reston this month.  Thanks also to the many individuals who have contributed this spring.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today online at www.justneighbors.org or by mailing a check to Just Neighbors at 716 S. Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22204.  We appreciate the support!

Sincerely,

Rob Rutland-Brown
Executive Director