Joining hands to help immigrants, refugees

Joining hands to help immigrants, refugees

by Jennifer Kivioja Staff writer

Posted: 5/4/2005

Community members are invited to Hoover Elementary School's

second annual "Join Hands Day," a community service event for
all ages.

The day includes two activities, one stuffing backpacks for

immigrant families and the other event a book, CD and video sale with all the proceeds
going toward the Haiti Drinking Water Project.

Both events are taking place at the school Saturday, May 7. Assembly of backpacks is
from 9 a.m. to noon, and the book, CD and video sale is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Join Hands Day is a joint event with Thrivent Financial and Hoover School, many
churches and community groups.

This is the second time the school is hosting the event.

"It went so well last year, that we're doing it again," said Liz Reiser, social worker at
Hoover and organizer of the event.

Last year the school was one of 20 schools nationwide to win the Points of Light Award
for its project. Reiser said that the school received a plaque and $1,000. She used the
money to purchase all of the backpacks for this year's event.

"It was very exciting and I'm very proud to be one of the 20 programs in the whole nation
that was honored," said Reiser.

Join Hands Day is a community event that encourages adults and youth to work together.
The Hoover project focuses on immigrant and refugee families attending schools in
District 11.

The day of the event many volunteers will gather at the school and stuff 100 backpacks.
Each bag is filled with a tied quilt, a fleece blanket and a variety of school supplies.

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Then the bags are given to refugee and immigrant children through District 11's family
welcome center for immigrant and refugee families.

"Last year the bags were given out until they were gone," said Reiser.

Reiser encourages families to attend the event to help stuff backpacks for immigrant
families.

"It's important for our community to welcome new members," Reiser said. "It's a youth
and adults endeavour, we really want kids to come and help along with adults," she said.

Many non-English speaking families attended last year's event.

"They really enjoyed the day last year and they said they felt more attached to the
community and school after participating," Reiser said.

"There really are needy families who don't have a connection to our community or know
our language. This event helps them to find a place and connect with the school and other
people from our community."

The other event taking place at the school May 7 is a fund-raiser for the Haiti Drinking
Water Project.

Reiser's uncle, Rev. Bernard Reiser at St. Nicholas Church in New Market, has
spearheaded the Haiti project and she thought it would be a great way to raise money.

"I heard about this project from my uncle and we both share the feeling that you don't
wait for larger organizations to help," Liz Reiser said. "You help when you see the
problem right in front of you.

"I know all the money is going right to the community, instead of larger relief
organizations in which some of the money goes
to overhead costs. I know the money we raise is
going directly to that project."

Rev. Reiser is known in the community as the

founding pastor of Epiphany Catholic Church,
Coon Rapids. He is heading the Haitian water
project for Cite Du Soleil, which has an
estimated population of about 300,000 and is a
suburb of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti,
which ranks last out of 147 countries, according
to an international poverty scale index.

"It's been a marvelous experience and it makes

you grateful for what God has given us," said Rev. Reiser.

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 Joining hands to help immigrants, refugees

"We live in abundance (here in the U.S.), we have more food than we need and there
(Haiti) people are grasping just to survive. We really don't know what real poverty is."

After a visit to Haiti several years ago, he felt he needed to help. Since then, Rev. Reiser
has raised money to help with housing projects, build a community center, help in the
schools and create a water system in CitÈ Du Soleil.

"A couple years ago, CitÈ Du Soleil, a

slum area, the water system was
destroyed, and we decided to do
something about it," said Rev. Reiser.

The money raised at Hoover will help

buy water for the new water system in
the city.

Rev. Reiser found funding for a water

truck, which is being shipped to Haiti
and should arrive in a week. The truck
will carry water from a town three miles
away from CitÈ Du Soleil to the new
water depot that will turn out 120,000
gallons of water in an eight-hour period
for the 300,000 people living in that city.

"I think it's magnificent that Hoover is going to help," said Rev. Reiser. "I think it's a
great awareness building of how appreciative we should be for what we have and how
sensitive we should be for others who suffer."

Partners in Service partners include Thrivent Financial for Lutheran's South Anoka
County Chapter, Hoover Elementary School, District 11 ESL Intake Center, Anoka
County Children and Family Council, Boy Scout Troop 415, Coon Rapids Lions Club,
Coon Rapids Police Department, Coon Rapids Youth First, the Coon Rapids Culvers Nit
Wits group; and St Mark's, Peace, Good Shepherd, King of Glory, Our Saviour's, Christ,
Faith Resurrection, Cross of Christ and Olive Branch Lutheran churches and St. Mary's
on the Lake Catholic Church.

4101 Coon Rapids Blvd.

Coon Rapids, MN 55433
763-421-4444
Fax 763-421-4315

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