What an exciting week! Our director, Christy Anderson, was honored as the Woman of Distinction for Claremont by our state’s 41st District for her dedicated service helping refugees in our community. The honor was well deserved — Christy has been tireless in her efforts to help local refugee families. It was also a vote of confidence for Claremont Canopy and its mission to help refugees thrive in their new country.
Assemblymember Chris Holden gave Christy the award in front of over a hundred people at his office in Pasadena. He talked about Christy’s special relationship with the refugee families she helps. Many think of her like family — and undeniably she makes them laugh! (They tease her by calling her Barbie because of her blond hair.)
Also this week, Canopy has received fiscal sponsorship from Claremont Community Foundation. Which means we will soon officially be a nonprofit! Through the support of California Community Foundation, the organization will house Claremont Canopy donations. So now all donations, financial and material, given to Canopy are tax deductible!
Please check out their website if you’re curious to learn more: https://claremontfoundation.org/
A big congrats to our friend, and lead translator, Abdul Kublan for being chosen for a medical residency at Pomona Valley Hospital in Pomona, California! PVH is just a few miles from Claremont! After receiving a medical degree in Damascus, Abdul has been working hard to get his license here in the states. We are thrilled he will stay local. We didn’t want to lose him for three years to another part of the country!
Canopy is happy to welcome Jessica Moss as a new board member. A resident of Diamond Bar, Jessica has worked closely with The Interfaith Council of Garden Grove, Stanton and Westminster to help organizations that assist refugees. She’s worked with ACCESS, A Country Called Syria, and United Nations Association-USA, among others. She has a master’s degree in Sociology from California State University Fullerton and is a regular lecturer at Mt San Antonio College and CSU Fullerton. She’s looking forward to bringing her experience in Orange County to the Claremont area.
In the coming week, we’re going to work on exploring how to offer more emotional support for our families and how to provide after-school tutoring to refugee kids. Please contact us if you’d like to get involved.
Yalla!
