News

The University Club of Claremont learned about Newcomers Access Center‘s work helping refugees and immigrants in the community at its January meeting. Anne Thorward, NAC‘s VP of the Board, spoke to the group via Zoom. She shared information about the families NAC serves in the Inland Valley and how the local community can help.

Over Winter Break when schools were closed, Newcomers Access Center took recently arrived Afghan refugee families on a couple of trips to the Claremont Helen Renwick Public Library.  With the help of volunteers, the NAC families learned how to fill out a library card application. A librarian gave them a tour to learn about all the resources the library offers including books, music, multimedia materials, computer and internet access, and educational and recreational services. The families can now use their new library cards to check out items from the library or to access resources online.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu

These words of wisdom from the late human rights activist Desmond Tutu inspire us to come together when faced with adversity.

As we start 2022, Newcomers Access Center thanks our supporters who contributed “little bits of good” in 2021, a most challenging year. Your small acts of kindness added up, enabling us to serve more than 50 extended families. We are proud of their accomplishments.

Many refugees have:

• found jobs
• started a business
• continue to master English
• enrolled in top universities
• opened bank accounts
• become library members
• learned the bus system
• passed the citizenship test and became citizens.

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Anne Thorward, one of the key driving forces behind the Newcomers Access Center (NAC), joins Claremont Speaks to help the community understand the nonprofit’s history, functions, accomplishments and goals for the future. In this engaging interview, Anne discusses how NAC and her involvement in it came about, the progress and path from the group’s founding, their growth path and some of their top achievements, including being approved as a 501c3 non-profit corporation.  Claremont’s many businesses, donors and volunteers increasingly provide the essentials to those arriving from Afghanistan, Syria and other war-torn countries. Anne illustrates how the community assists with gift cards, transportation, furniture, bicycles/transportation, teaching English and computer use, and much more.

You can make the New Year HAPPY for an Afghan family who has been in California for a month, crowded into a small apartment with relatives. Today they found an apartment for their family of two parents who were lawyers and judges in Kabul and three young children ages 7, 3, and 1. They are excited to have their own place. We have an urgent need to help set up their apartment. NAC will purchase items that cannot be donated, such as new rugs, mattresses, cleaning supplies, brooms, mops, diapers and other household items. You are needed for everything else: bed frames, bunk beds, full set of dishware, pots and pans, highchair, and full kitchen set up. If you have items to to donate, please contact us as soon as possible by email to coordinate. We also are asking for donations to help with rent supplements and other needs for this Afghan family and others. Your donations may be tax deductible. Thank you for responding to this urgent need. And Happy New Year!

Did you get an upgraded computer, laptop, tablet or phone for the holidays? Want to donate your old tech to someone in need? Consider donating to Newcomers Access Center (NAC), a nonprofit that serves refugee and immigrant families in the Inland Valley in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. We have several families who could put your old tech to good use. Because we are nonprofit, you may be able to get a tax benefit for your donation. If you have tech to donate, please email us or call us at (909) 455-3248.  Thank you.

Transportation is a challenge for refugees as they don’t have cars. To help, NAC put out a call for donations of bikes, helmets and bike locks. The community responded donating many bikes. Volunteers make sure the bikes are working and safe to ride, then fit bikes and helmets to the rider. A teen learned to ride in one day. Three men use bikes for transportation to/from their new jobs. The riders named themselves the “Kabul – Claremont Bike Club.” If you have a bike, lock, or helmet to donate, please email NAC.

Local refugee and immigrants applied for citizenship at naturalization clinics held at the NAC office within days of it opening. NAC’s partner, the International Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley (IRCSVG), provided one-on-one consultations for 26 clients since we moved to CST. Applying for citizenship can be confusing, so we are pleased to partner with IRCSVG to help applicants get the form filled out correctly with all the proper documentation. We are proud to announce that recently, several people among our NAC families passed their citizenship tests and become citizens. Congratulations!

Becoming fluent in English is vital for refugees to successfully integrate into society. Newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan vary widely in English proficiency. NAC volunteers tutor family members at our office five days a week working in groups ranging from levels from preschool to professional. We are lucky that some of our volunteers are experts in English as a Second Language (ESL) education. On Saturday, December 11, NAC hosted a tutor appreciation event where tutors could meet to share ideas. Volunteer Kitty Purgason, who has extensive background in ESL, shared many tips with fellow volunteers.  Thank you to Kitty and to all our volunteers who help with tutoring. If you are interested in volunteering to tutor, please fill out our volunteer form.

With 20 pages of questions (and another 18 pages of instructions), filling out the application for U.S. citizenship can be intimidating. Many people trying to fill the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, are not sure what to put for answers on some sections. That’s why Newcomers Access Center (NAC) is connecting our client families with one-on-one help in completing the application. NAC partnered with the Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley (IRSGV) to offer workshops. Certified experts from IRSVG came out to our office in Pomona and then again to our new office in Claremont to meet with clients applying for citizenship. Each appointment lasts about 45 minutes and gives the expert time to review paperwork and make sure the application is filled out completely and accurately. Thank you to IRSVG for coming out to help our families! We appreciate your help in making the dream of US citizenship come true.

We will be holding additional Citizenship Application Workshops in the future. To make an appointment, please email us and let us know you are interested. We will contact you with possible appointment times.

Are you interested in becoming a U.S. Citizen? Get one-on-one help filling out the Citizenship Application (N-400) form at a FREE workshop. Newcomers Access Center (NAC) will be hosting appointments with a certified expert to help you fill out the form completely and correctly. We will be scheduling another workshop soon. 

It’s difficult for anyone to watch the crisis unfold in Afghanistan, but for Afghan refugees already settled in the U.S., the unrest and uncertainty is heartbreaking: they worry about the safety of loved ones on the other side of the world. Newcomers Access Center (NAC) is helping many such families in the Inland Valley area, and is seeking support from the greater community.

Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the UN Join virtually to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations! Click here to see the flyer for more details. The UN established the High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) that states guidelines about how refugees are to be treated around the world. Local UN Association chapter continues to support UN programs

Trauma and Stress Resources Thank you to everyone who attended our Trauma and Stress Workshop! We hope that you feel equipped with tools to get you through these hard times. If you attended and would like the materials, or if you missed it and would like to learn about this topic, click here to download the presentation.