National Welcoming Week, a nationwide event led by Welcoming
America, is Sept. 15-22, and a local group is mobilizing grassroots action
in the Cedar Valley.
Local lawmakers, including Cedar Falls and Waterloo mayors
Jon Crews and Buck Clark, Waterloo Rep. Anesa Kajtazovich, local business
owners and dozens of others have already signed the Cedar Valley Welcome
Pledge.
The Welcome Pledge seeks to send a message that the Cedar
Valley welcomes all people, including members of our new, quickly growing
Burmese refugee community. Volunteer members of Burma Iowa Friends, a coalition
of community members focused on assisting Burmese refugees in Eastern Iowa,
spearheaded the initiative to get involved in the national movement.
During Welcoming Week, the community is also invited to a
Fall Festival on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart,
627 W. Fourth St., Waterloo. Burmese groups will perform, along with other
family-friendly activities.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, volunteers will be going door to door
in Waterloo, with the goal of educating and engaging local community members
about the growing Burmese refugee population, as well getting signatures for
the CV Welcome Pledge.
Anyone interested in learning more or signing the Welcome
Pledge can visit http://cvwelcomepledge.com/.
There will be an informational meeting for volunteers
interested in helping with door knocking on Sept. 15, 7 to 8 p.m. at the United States Committee for Refugees and
Immigrants (USCRI) office in Waterloo, at First United Methodist Church,
614 Randolph St.
For more information on National Welcoming Week, please
contact Burma Iowa Friends volunteers: Lalaina Rabary, lrabary@gmail.com or Alison Gowans, alison.gowans@gmail.com, cell
319-850-3474
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