Community Partner Visits

To engage conference participants on the local and praxis levels, participants will visit with a community partner in Worcester who, in some way, is working to welcome and support refugees and immigrants in the Worcester community. Participants will sign up on the Wednesday of the conference for their preferred community partner visit. Transportation will be provided to and from the community sites. Visits will last 1.5 hours and occur at various times between 12:15pm and 4pm on the Thursday of the conference (prior to the closing session). Questions? Contact JUHAN. Read more about the community partner options below.

Ascentria Care Alliance (departing at 1:15pm)

Ascentria Care Alliance is one of the largest social service organizations in New England. Ascentria serves children, youth and families; persons with developmental disabilities, mental illness and deafness; persons who are economically disadvantaged; refugees, including unaccompanied refugee minors; and older adults. The mission of Ascentria is simple and powerful: "to strengthen communities by empowering people to respond to life's challenges." Holy Cross and Ascentria have a strong partnership. Students from a variety of programs and courses volunteer with Ascentria's Services for New Americans Program and their Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program. Additionally, a team of Holy Cross faculty and staff have been working with Ascentria to help to support a newly resettled Syrian refugee family in Worcester.

Conference participants who take part in the visit to Ascentria will take a tour of the Ascentria facility and learn more about Ascentria's Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program. URMs are children under the age of 18 who are resettled alone in the United States, without a parent, relative, or other responsible adult to take care of them. The URM program is a long-term foster care program that serves youth with comprehensive services designed to assist with their resettlement and adjustment to their new culture, provide for them while they pursue educational goals, and prepare them for eventual independence. Services are tailored to the needs of refugee youth, blending their cultural identity with their new American environment.

Family Health Center of Worcester (departing at 12:15pm)

Established in 1972, Family Health Center of Worcester is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all residents in the Greater Worcester area, especially culturally diverse populations, by providing access to affordable, high quality, integrated, comprehensive, and respectful primary health care and social services, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. Family Health Center offers family medicine, maternal child health, behavioral health, vision services, dentistry, nursing, a Walk In Center for urgent and primary care same-day visits, a low-cost pharmacy, lab, radiology, school-based health centers, refugee / immigrant health services, teen health clinic, ADHD clinic, INS clinic, an optical shop, flu vaccine clinics, health education and promotion, HIV counseling and testing, and public health programs for the early detection and prevention of disease.

Conference participants who take part in the visit to Family Health Center will take a tour of the Family Health Center facility and learn more about their Refugee Health Clinic and the challenges that recently resettled individuals and families face in terms of health care. Recently, in their news section, Family Health Center spotlighted the work that their Refugee Health Clinics do to support resettled individuals and families. Click here to read more.

Hadwen Park LGBT Asylum Support Task Force (departing at 12:40pm)

Established in 1914, Hadwen Park Congregational Church is a UCC congregation in Worcester. Hadwen Park is an open and affirming congregation and has several extensive ministries to support marginalized individuals and groups. Throughout the history of their denomination and church, Hadwen Park has sought to minister to the "least of these" - the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and prisoner. Among their several current efforts is their Food Pantry, their involvement in the Interfaith Hospitality Network, ministry to LGBT asylum seekers, and other special projects.

Conference participants who take part in the visit to Hadwen Park will learn more about their ministry to LGBT asylum seekers (the LGBT Asylum Support Task Force) and talk with some of the individuals Hadwen is working to support in their seeking of asylum. For more than a dozen years, Hadwen Park has worked to support individuals who are seeking asylum from their country of origin because they are experiencing persecution due to their sexual identity. Hadwen Park works to raise funds to support these individuals in their transition to living in Worcester (those who are seeking asylum are not permitted to work legally in this country for an extensive period of time). Hadwen Park also welcomes them into their community in a variety of ways from inviting them to participate in worship, to hosting dinners, to providing housing and other supports. In 2016, Pastor Judy proclaimed, "to date, we have helped over 130 asylum seekers from 16 countries."

In 2016, along with MA Senator Elizabeth Warren, Pastor Judy Hanlon of Hadwen Park was honored for her and her congregation's efforts to support the LGBT community with the Open Door Award.

Refugee Artisans of Worcester (RAW) (on-campus at 2pm)

Refugee Artisans of Worcester (RAW) is a unique non-profit project that works to support refugees in the city through recognizing the beauty of their traditional artwork. RAW was created in order to embrace the cultures and skill sets of Worcester, Massachusetts refugees while working to financially support these new community members. The project values recent and long-standing refugees by recognizing their dedication to hard work, ability to produce beautiful art, and willingness to try new projects. In addition, RAW complements the many refugee resettlement programs in the city by seeking community awareness and assistance.

Conference participants who take part in the visit with RAW will have the opportunity to hear from RAW co-founders Ellen Ferrante and Joan Kariko about the program, their inspiration for starting the program, and how it has grown and changed since the organization's inception. Participants will also witness a demonstration from one of their artisans and have the opportunity to ask the artisan about their craft and their journey to Worcester. RAW features several of their artisans on their website. Click here to learn more about the artisans, their work, and their stories.

Worcester Alliance for Refugee Ministry (WARM) (departing at 1:30pm)

Worcester Alliance for Refugee Ministry (WARM) is a faith-based non-profit aiming to bridge the Church and Worcester refugees, meeting critical and ongoing needs and helping them acclimate to American life. WARM is an alliance of volunteers and churches that come alongside agencies and service organizations that work to resettle and support refugees in Worcester. WARM does this in a variety of ways from individual members and congregations opening their doors to newly resettled individuals and families, to hosting community events, and to educating individuals and congregations about the needs of refugees and immigrants.

Conference participants who take part in the visit with WARM will visit one of WARM's member congregations, hear from WARM members, and meet some of the individuals and families WARM members support.

Worcester Interfaith (departing at 12:40pm)

Founded in 1993, Worcester Interfaith (WI) is a multi-issue, multi-racial broad based community organization, comprised of 21 dues-paying institutions that reflect the religious, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity of the city. Worcester Interfaith has built bridges between congregational and community leaders and across religious, socio-economic, racial and ethnic boundaries to accomplish much in the areas of jobs, neighborhood improvements, public safety, education and youth, and draw attention to the disproportionate ways in which these issues affect low-income and minority populations.

Recently, Worcester Interfaith has been organizing efforts to make the needs of refugees and immigrants known to the people of Worcester and to local politicians. Conference participants who take part in the visit with Worcester Interfaith will learn more about community organizing and the particular campaigns Worcester Interfaith has organized to better support the refugee and immigrant population in Worcester. One recent example of Worcester Interfaith's organizing efforts is the early February rally outside of City Hall to encourage the City Council to vote to keep Worcester as a welcoming city (their effort was successful). Click here to read the Worcester Telegram and Gazette story on Worcester Interfaith's organizing effort.