Dear Friends,
I hope you’ve had a good month. Read on to see what Just Neighbors has been up to in March.
Client Story
Just Neighbors takes in stride that not all of its clients are equally able to assist with their own cases. Mr. D, a refugee from East Africa, is homeless. Before coming to the United States, he spent seven years in prison, we think because of his ethnicity. He now feels safe in the United States but desperately wants an ID card because the police sometimes approach him on the streets. In assisting him with a green card application that will serve as his ID, Just Neighbors has forged a relationship with Mr D
Mr. D first came to Just Neighbors in September 2007. Due to language barriers and some mental disabilities, we had difficulty understanding him. For example, the paper he carries stamped with his entry date is worn and the last digit of the year he entered is illegible; yet Mr. D cannot clearly communicate whether he arrived in the United States in 2003 or 2005. You can imagine the challenge it has been to try to complete Immigration forms for Mr. D, which ask for information such as his parents’ names and places of birth!
Another hurdle in his Immigration applications was the requirement of a vaccination record. A Just Neighbors’ attorney drove this client to a private physician for his immunizations. The client was visibly nervous, but afterwards his relief was palpable. When we assured him that the immunizations were the last step in his application, he was overjoyed.
Just Neighbors also played the role of a trusted intermediary for Mr. D. A relative of Mr. D visited their homeland last year. The relative returned with a photo of Mr. D’s mother and a letter from her to her son, from whom she has not heard in ten years. The relative gave the letter and photo to us to give to Mr. D. Mr. D’s eyes teared when he saw the image of his mother; we gave him paper to write her back right then (we have mothers on staff!) and we took photos of him to send to her as well. We are keeping his mother’s photo in our files – it is a safe place for it.
Mr. D recently returned to Just Neighbors with a gift: he carefully extracted a carton of eggs from the backpack in which he carries all his possessions. “This is for you,” he said with great pride in his eyes, and then he explained that he has no way to cook the eggs!
Around the Office
This year Just Neighbors has focused on education as a means of confronting the divisiveness that immigrant issues can create. We believe that informing immigrants of their rights and educating non-immigrants about immigration laws enables people to address the issue of immigration with a more thoughtful, informed perspective.
In February and March, Just Neighbors led 17 presentations to over 1,300 immigrants and non-immigrants. This included a bilingual talk to adult immigrant students at a transitional high school in Fairfax about their rights; a presentation to staff at a local shelter about immigrant domestic violence laws; a talk with refugees and other students at Computer Core, where low-income residents learn computer skills; an evening discussion about immigration at a Catholic Church; and a presentation in partnership with Goodwill to educate nonprofit providers about immigrant laws that may affect their clients.
Just Neighbors is one of several immigration legal service providers in the DC area who will be sponsoring a Citizenship Day on April 19th in partnership with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). For $20 (plus the fees to Immigration), eligible residents can apply for citizenship at venues in DC, Maryland, and Arlington, VA. Volunteer immigration attorneys will be assisting throughout the day at the four locations. For more information, feel free to contact Rob at (703) 979-1240 or
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We are grateful for a generous grant toward general operating expenses from the Weissberg Foundation as well as funding from The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area to continue our services to immigrants in the Herndon community.
Volunteer of the Month
Just Neighbors would like to honor Erin O’Brien as our Volunteer of the Month. We probably should have given this award to Erin months ago, as she volunteered in the office nearly every Friday this past fall. Erin, who is finishing her Master’s in Paralegal Studies at Marymount University, has helped prepare client files, answer phones, conduct research, and assist with a wide range of odd jobs. She continues to volunteer when her class schedule allows. We are pleased to give Erin a gift certificate to Lebanese Taverna—thank you Erin!
Sincerely,
Rob Rutland-Brown
Executive Director
