Syrian Community Network Annual Report 2020Zaena Rihani Gerald Doyle Hadia Zarzour Dr. Lena Shahbandar Paul Fackler Brad Zibung Farah Siddiqui Abdelnasser Rashid BOARD OF DIRECTORSSyrian Community Network Annual Report 202032020 Annual Report Contents Director’s Message Our Story Mission, Vision, Values What We Do and Programs Our Impact Serving During Covid News and Updates Awards Financial Report Meet Our Staff Hopes and Dreams Join Us 4 6 8 10 14 26 30 32 33 34 39 39 Cover image, back cover images and images on pages 1, 2, 20, 22, 23, 38, 40: © Farah Salem | Chicago Reader 2020. Published originally by Chicago Reader. Article name: “Reclaiming our resettlement,” March 02, 2020.Syrian Community Network4 Message from the Executive Director “TODAY OUR COMMITMENT TO CARING FOR OUR MOST RECENTLY ARRIVED AMERICANS HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER.”5 Dear Friends, A new country. A new culture. A new beginning. Late one evening in January 2015, I arrived at a small house in Evanston to meet the Elaly Family, anxious to meet the first Syrian refugee family arriving in Chicago. As an immigrant myself, who arrived from Syria as a child, the crisis in Syria felt personal to me. Back in the early ’80s, my family left Syria during a time of turmoil. I knew I might never return to the country of my birth. When the Syrian crisis started in 2011, I knew it was time for me to give back. When I brought up the idea of creating a non-profit to assist Syrian refugees arriving in the U.S., I found enormous support from friends, family and the community at large. And that’s how Syrian Community Network took root. Today our commitment to caring for our most recently arrived Americans has never been stronger. We help kids like Hamza learn to read their first books in English through our After School Program. Volunteers, like Brad, who come to help kids with homework during the program, find their work with SCN to be incredibly fulfill- ing, because they know what a difference they make in each child’s future. Women in our learn to drive program like Salwa tell us how proud and excited they were the day they earned their driver’s license. Mayada, from our job training program, is incredibly grateful to earn a certif- icate in food handling. Najah, who attends our elderly program, has found a sense of commu- nity again. A trip to the museum and lunch afterward is an experience she says she will never forget. With the Covid-19 pandemic and hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. who are out of a job, we had to regroup and adjust the ways in which we serve for the safety of our families and staff. Using Zoom, we turned our after school program to a Zoom homework support and online tutoring; we applied for hundreds of unemployment claims for our fami- lies, securing over $1 million dollars in benefits, emergency rent to ensure our families remain in their homes; we have applied for citizenship applications and started citizenship classes to prepare our families to become new Americans; we held multiple info sessions to connect with our families and held two fundraising virtual events to ensure we have the funds to continue our work! There is much more work ahead of us, and we need your help to get there. As you read more about our work and our hope for more programs, please consider how your contribution can play a key role in helping an entire family achieve self-reliance and independence. Good citizens yield a vibrant civil society, but we can’t get there without you. We want to thank you for all you have done to help refugees like Iman, a widow with three children, find a job and support her family. Let’s continue to work together to help refugees thrive. This is our time to grow and build what we started together. Will you join us? Suzanne Akhras SahloulSyrian Community Network6 The families started arriving, and soon Chicago was home to 25 families and growing. In September of 2016, SCN established chapters in San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta and Tucson. 366 children sponsored for EID gifts 150 individuals assisted with Unemployment Insurance benefits $1.1 mil dollars in UI benefits secured 200 families served with comprehensive, holistic case management Our Story Syrian Community Network is a 501(c)3 refugee and immigrant support organization that builds community and serves families by addressing their evolving needs. Providing a warm welcome is crucial as we familiarize our families with diverse communities beyond their own ethnic and cultural community. As the voice of the Syrian refugees, our advocacy efforts include championing refugee resettlement and dismantling national barriers and inter- national impediments to resettlement. Whether working with a child on homework in our After School Program or helping a woman earn her license in our learn to drive program, the work we do matters. SCN helps refugees feel welcome and gain the tools and support they need to grow. We focus on: ɈAdvocacy on behalf of refugee and immigrant families ɈCase Management services to helps support families with aspects of daily life ɈEducation programs that supplement a family’s journey to adjusting to life in the US ɈImmigration services that help families firmly plant their roots in the US72020 Annual Report 45% Case Management, Job Training, and Workshops Advocacy 5% Immigration 5% Elderly Services 5% Women’s Empowerment (WATW and Family Wellness) 5% 35% Education Services Our ProgramsNext >