Apr 25, 2024 03:30 PM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time

Details: Hear from Pastor Jan Bolerjack of Riverton United Methodist Church as she provides an update on their congregation’s outreach efforts and experience for people who have come to the Northwest in hopes of finding safety from war, oppression and climate crisis.  Complementing the conversation will be representatives from both service organizations and those with lived experience on our panel.  We hope to engage the community in meaningful conversation and support.

Event Contact Info:

Elisa Petersen

Phone: 206-712-5059

E-mail: executivedir@eastsidehsf.org

3:30 – 3:40 p.m.  Opening (Elisa Petersen, Executive Director EHSF)

3:40 – 4:00 p.m.  Introductions (Bellevue City Councilmember Zahn and Linda Hillesheim, Event Co-Facilitators)

4:00 – 4:05 p.m.  Understanding the Key Differences Between Asylum Seekers and Refugees (Linda Hillesheim)

4:05 – 4:55 p.m. Panel Discussion (List of Panelists Attached)

4:55 – 5:00 p.m. Wrap Up and Next Steps (Elisa Petersen)

We begin this call to action with a shared understanding of the unique needs and challenges facing our neighbors in the community.  We bring together some of our local subject matter experts to convene with you in light and hope. 

The goal of Eastside Human Services Forum is to Educate, Convene and Advocate.

We work directly with local elected officials, human service providers and the community to have open dialogue about important issues facing the East King County Region.

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Today we learn more about what we can do to offer support to our community partners.

Our partners today are distinct in their journey to the United States by how they arrive and the process involved in crossing the US border. 

Linda Hillesheim will address this during the conversation…we encourage you to explore the differences and similarities in needs.

Refugees:

• Are usually outside the United States when they are screened for resettlement.
• Are often referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, U.S. embassies, or certain non-governmental organizations.
• Go through a pre-screening process at Resettlement Support Centers around the world.
• Must pass an interview by a U.S. immigration officer, multiple security checks, and a medical examination.
• Once approved, are assigned to a sponsoring resettlement agency in the U.S. that helps with services like housing and employment.
• Receive employment authorization and can request documents to travel outside the U.S.
• May apply for lawful permanent status (green card) after one year and U.S. citizenship after five years.

Asylum Seekers:

• Must be present in the U.S. or at a U.S. port of entry to apply.
• Seek protection based on a fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
• Must prove their fear of persecution and meet requirements laid out by the U.N. Convention on Refugees, which the U.S. has adopted.
• Do not go through a third-party referral process as refugees do.

These distinctions are significant under U.S. immigration law and affect the legal processes and statuses of individuals seeking safety in the United States

Our panelists bring a broad background of both lived experience and ‘boots on the ground’ service to those in need.  We encourage you to give thought to any questions you might have, and reach out directly either before or after the event if you would like to connect:

Panelist Information

Paul Lwali – CEO, Friends of Youth

Friends of Youth provides a variety of program services, including residential and foster care service to refugees and asylum seekers. Our program services include staffed independent living homes for refugee and immigrant young adult males, ages 16 – 20, that support independent living skill development, education and job-seeking support, case management, coordination of medical services, mental health services, and legal services.

Our support to these youth and young adults includes ensuring bilingual employees who are fluent in Spanish and meals that reflect the culture and preferences of our clients.

As President and CEO of Friends of Youth, Paul provides leadership to one of the oldest human service organizations in East King County. His role includes positively impacting over 3,200 youth and young adults each year at 23 sites and services in 18 cities across the Puget Sound region, including operating the only overnight youth shelter on the Eastside of Seattle.

Prior to joining Friends of Youth, Paul spent twenty-two (22) years in the not-for-profit sector with the YMCA. His career includes serving as Senior Executive Director of the YMCA of Greater Seattle, Branch Executive at the Bellevue YMCA, Center Director with the YMCA in Indianapolis, and Branch Executive with YMCA Albuquerque.

Part of Paul’s professional journey includes working in spaces that offer youth development initiatives, providing family support for parents and guardians of youth and young adults and critical social services to communities large and small. Paul’s personal and professional life has been shaped through understanding that everyone has a story to tell, and each of us has a unique starting point.

Paul has a long track record of involvement and engagement with community-serving agencies, civic organizations, and local not-for-profit boards. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from the University of Washington in St Louis, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington, Evans School.

Paul serves on the Boards of Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation, Eastside Human Services Forum, Bellevue Rotary and Washington Association for Children and Families.

Contact Info:

Paul Lwali, President and Chief Executive Officer, Friends of Youth

Phone: 425.869.6490  e-mail: info@friendsofyouth.org

Website – https://www.friendsofyouth.org

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/friendsofyouth

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/friendsofyouth/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/friends-of-youth/

Personal wish for today’s event:

My personal wish as a panelist in today’s forum is…

My personal wish is to raise awareness of the needs of our many community members who are refugees and asylum seekers, especially youth and young adults.

My hope for my organization’s participation in today’s forum is…

At Friends of Youth, we benefit from collaborating and learning from our partners in our work with vulnerable youth and young adults. I hope that I can learn from my fellow panel members and broader community, what the “gaps in the system” that perpetuate or limit the impact of our work are? and share some of our best practices.

My dream for my community to benefit from today’s forum is…

Collaborating with our community partners is essential to our work. My hope is that this forum will result in community members having a greater awareness of how many youth and young adult refugees and asylum seekers would benefit from their support. Also, how community members can support our work and that of our partners, as advocates, donors, and volunteers.

Farzana Adabyar – Board Member, Afghan Advantage

Farzana Adabyar has a BA in English from Balkh University, Mazār-i-Sharīf, Afghanistan with 8 years of experience in human resources, recruitment, and accounting. She is on the Board of Directors at Afghan Advantage and manage their driving scholarship program for Afghan women. In Afghanistan Farzana was Humans Resources Manager with USAID/DAI and UNESCO projects and worked as a teller with OXUS bank.

After moving to the US in 2019, Farzana worked in HR at the SeaTac Bar Group at SeaTac Int’l Airport. And then joined the Refugee Resettlement Office doing community outreach, case management, and interpreting since July 2021. She also worked with the Tukwila School District as a translator, mediator, and community liaison for Afghan families. Farzana is a community organizer and humanitarian who speaks 4 languages.

Contact Info:

Farzana can be reached at Farzana.adabyar@gmail.com

Afghan Advantage website: Home – Afghan Advantage

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfghanAdvantage/

Personal wish for today’s event:

My personal wish as a panelist in today’s forum is hoping other refugees’ dreams come true. 

Khizer Sheriff – Co-Founder, Muslim Community Resource Center

Khizer Sheriff is the co-founder of the humanitarian service organization MCRC (Muslim Community Resource Center) that he started with his wife Nickhath (Nicky) Sheriff 15 years ago. MCRC is now the social and humanitarian program of MAPS (The Muslim Association of Puget Sound) which is the largest mosque in WA state. MCRC provides a portfolio of interconnected humanitarian services and serves families in need in the Greater Seattle area. He serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Essentials First, a Bellevue based non-profit,  working to bring equitable access to essential hygiene items in our communities. Khizer also is on the Board of the Eastside Interfaith Social Affairs Council( EISCC). In his day job, Khizer is a Director at Snowflake, a cloud technology company.

 Khizer brings a lot of passion for serving the needs of immigrants, refugees, and low-income families. Most weekends, one can find Khizer along with his wife either delivering food to various shelters or working on various projects to assist those in need.

Contact Info:

Khizer can be reached at  Khizer@essentialsfirst.org 

Essentials First Website: Essentials First

Personal wish for today’s event:

My personal wish as a panelist in today’s forum is… to increase awareness of the needs of immigrants and refugees and how the broader community can help them.

My hope for my organization’s participation in today’s forum is…to foster better collaboration between various agencies to serve the increasing needs.

My dream for my community to benefit from today’s forum is…to know that we are a compassionate and caring community that cares for the less fortunate that works together. We are there for them.

Reverand Jan Bolerjack – Riverton United Methodist Church

Rev. Jan Bolerjack of Riverton Park United Methodist Church fell into the reception of migrants when the Seattle Police Department found them sleeping on the streets of Seattle and couldn’t find shelter for them. They brought the first families to Riverton in December of 2022. Riverton had just, previous to that, moved 30 unhoused that had been staying in tents into the new Tiny Home village on the church property.

 Over the next several months those staying at Riverton increased from a few to many – even up to about 500 at one time. All the while the effort was to get King County, Washington State, and the neighboring cities to take notice and support. In October of 2023 Mayor Ekberg of Tukwila declared a Humanitarian State of Emergency. Since then funding has come in that is helpful but the crisis still continues with more than 2000 having come through the church doors – some allowed to stay, while others had to be turned away. The scarcity of affordable housing and shelter beds continues to be at crisis levels in King County.

 Programs had to be built to support these new residents including legal support, case management, medical connectors, school enrollment, food supplies and much more. The volunteer and paid staff personnel haven’t kept up with the need but the hearts of many are doing their best.

Contact Info:

Riverton Park can be found at 3118 S. 140th in Tukwila. rivertonparkumc.com

Riverton Park United Methodist Church Riverton Park United Methodist Church rivertonparkumc.com

Personal wish for today’s event:

My personal wish as a panelist in today’s forum is… to paint of picture of who our new neighbors are, the gifts and needs they come with, and a way to support them

My hope for my organization’s participation in today’s forum is… to share the volunteer opportunities and financial needs

My dream for my community to benefit from today’s forum is… to feel supported in this crazy effort to do what the county and state are failing to do which is to welcome and provide for those seeking Asylum among us.