Our COVID-19 Response

Covid-19 has changed the way the world is currently operating. The same is true at Friends of Refugees. All of our programs have adapted how they are working in the Clarkston Community, from assisting families with food stamps applications to connecting the unemployed to jobs and to providing food support and rent assistance. Here are some unique ways we are serving refugees in the Clarkston community during the pandemic:

• The Refugee Family Literacy staff are contacting all students and providing at-home activities and online sessions for our English students and the children who attend our early childhood education centers.
• Embrace Refugee Birth Support is holding virtual birth classes, providing at-home learning activities, and offering virtual labor support when needed. The Community Liaisons are working tirelessly to check on all of the moms with encouragement and support.
• The Jolly Avenue Garden, in addition to growing fresh fruits and vegetables with and for our neighbors, will be equipped with an outdoor classroom designed to be simultaneously conducive to both hands-on learning and social distancing. 
• The Refugee Career Hub, while continuing to work with employers and candidates for job placements, has launched new virtual classes that combine training in using computers for job searches, applications, and employment with job readiness and financial management skills.
• Youth Programs staff and volunteers are reaching out to the families of the children in our after school program to determine technology needs and to offer remote assistance with school lessons. 
• Start:ME Clarkston, our small business accelerator operated in partnership with Emory University, has launched an emergency effort to aid our more than 100 small business launches with additional professional support to access public aid and access markets to recuperate lost business and is currently accepting applications for the Winter 2021 cohort.