Info Session: American Friends Program

Past Event ....... February 23rd — 6:00 pm

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6 p.m. in the Couture Room, a presentation on Catholic Charities of Maine’s American Friends Program, which matches citizen volunteers with refugee families to help ease their transition to life in Maine. Free. Snow date: Feb. 25. For more information, contact Aimee Vlachos-Bullard, 523-2737.

Further details…


American Friends Helping Refugees, One Family at a Time

Imagine arriving in Lewiston, Maine, from a refugee camp in Somalia or Burma and not knowing the language or the customs of America.  How do I mail a letter? What do traffic lights mean? What type of clothing do I need to survive a Maine winter? These simple tasks are often taken for granted but to a refugee, learning American customs and social etiquette can be an overwhelming experience. To a refugee our country is another world.

This is where an American Friend steps in to help. The American Friends program, offered through the Refugee and Immigration Services department of Catholic Charities of Maine, is designed to match caring, English-speaking families or individuals with refugee families to help ease the very difficult transition these refugees experience when they move from their country and culture to ours. Typically, the American Friends volunteer helps the refugee family learn to function independently in their new surroundings, cope with cultural shock, preserve their cultural identity, and learn a new language.

Please join us Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. in the Couture Conference Room at the Lewiston Public Library to learn more about the refugee experience. A representative from Catholic Charities will be covering such topics as: how refugees arrive in Maine, the services Catholic Charities provides to them, and volunteer opportunities available.

You can make a difference in someone’s life!  For additional information regarding this program, please contact Aimee Vlachos-Bullard, Volunteer Coordinator, at (207)523-2737 or at abullard@ccmaine.org. The Lewiston Public Library is located at 200 Lisbon Street at the corner of Pine Street in downtown Lewiston.

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