MAR 1 2021 By Hannah Lee, Director of Community Engagement + Mariah Green, Volunteer Coordinator There are many exciting things happening this year: the US refugee resettlement program is being rebuilt, Canopy’s work is growing, and our Co-Sponsor Model is getting a brand new look! As Canopy continues to grow, we want to make sure…
Read MoreA Beautiful Friendship: How riding bikes bonded two newcomers for life.
FEB 18 2021 In the Summer and Fall months of 2018, Alysia and her mom had just moved to Northwest Arkansas for her mom to begin her new job. She was brand new to the area, and making friends in a new place can feel especially scary when you’re a kid! Fortunately, Alysia wasn’t the…
Read MoreThe Helping Hand Podcast Amplifies Local Voices
FEB 15 2021 Meet Sherjeel- a college student with a creative idea to help us welcome refugees home. Sherjeel Naeem, a pre-med student at the University of Arkansas, wanted to set his podcast apart from the 500,000+ active podcasts available. Sherjeel knew he wanted his show to be a resource for the community — amplifying…
Read MoreFor Eca, Building a New Life in Northwest Arkansas Means Launching His Business
FEB 8 2021 The essence of the US refugee resettlement program is to ensure all newcomers have the core necessities vital to building a new life in the states: financial self-sufficiency, case management, and cultural orientation. During the Reception and Placement period, each new household has between 90-180 days to receive these core services and…
Read MoreMeet Canopy’s Very First AmeriCorps Vista, Aubrey!
JAN 29 2021 With a new year comes new faces joining the Canopy team in 2021. We are so excited to welcome Aubrey Skopp as the Education and Economic Opportunity VISTA. She will play an integral role in our team over the next year developing our In-Home Tutoring Program. Meet Aubrey Skopp: Aubrey is from…
Read More2021: A Year of Welcome
JAN 11 2021 By Joanna Krause, Executive Director In case you did not have a chance to see our impact from 2020, here is a quick recap: Looking ahead to 2021, the Biden Administration has committed to raising the Presidential Determination – the number of refugee arrivals permitted in a year – from 15,000 to 125,000. …
Read MoreGive a Gift of Welcome This Season
DEC 7 2020 By Lauren Husband, Communications Team At Canopy, the act of welcome is central to our mission and values. We often talk about different ways of welcoming that positively impact our clients— the Long Welcome, our Community of Welcome— but none of that is possible without Gifts of Welcome. Gifts of Welcome sustain…
Read More2020: A Year of Welcome—in the midst of challenges.
NOV 23 As the end of 2020 approaches, Canopy has so much to be grateful for — and the road ahead is more exciting than ever before. By Hannah Lee, Director of Community Engagement To put it mildly, 2020 has been a long, difficult year for nearly everyone. However, as the end of the year…
Read MoreWhat the Presidential Election Means for Refugees and the U.S Resettlement Program
NOV 9 2020 By Hannah Lee, Director of Community Engagement Over the weekend, the Associated Press announced that Joe Biden is the winner of the U.S. presidential election. What will a Biden Presidency mean for the US refugee resettlement program? Here are 2 important impacts expected to happen under a new administration in 2021: 1….
Read MoreVoting in the U.S. for the First Time— A New Citizen’s Perspective
OCT 26 2020 Carmen Gonzalez moved to the United states in 1986. Thirty-four years later, she is about to vote for the first time. By Lauren Husband, Communications Team Carmen was just 25 years old when she decided to leave her home in Mexico in search of a more prosperous life for herself and her…
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