HSER NER MOO COMMUNITY & WELCOME CENTER

POWER OF YOUR PURSE 2011

2011-10-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

Check this out! Highlights from the fashion show our youth at Hser Ner Moo participated in at this big United Event! Thank you Women's Philanthropic Network members!

http://uwslhub.org/2011/10/28/2011-power-of-your-purse/

Thanks to SWIRE COCA COLA

2011-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

As part of the United Way of Salt Lake Day of Caring this year (September 8, 2011), Swire Coca Cola employees came to Hser Ner Moo and did volunteer work to improve the playground. They were part of the 500 + volunteers that did projects in South Salt Lake.

THANK YOU SWIRE COCA COLA!

Pictures of June 11 Cultural Celebration

2011-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

As part of the World Refugee Month celebration in Utah. Hser Ner Moo held its celebration on Saturday. Here are some pictures from the event.
"Voices of Courage" Utah theme.

2nd Cultural Celebration of the Year

2011-06-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Come join us this Saturday, June 11 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm!
In participation with the World Refugee Month's celebration, Hser Ner Moo will hold this event at the Columbus Center Auditorium (2531S 400/500E, South Salt Lake)
There will be sharing of stories, art, fashion, music, dance and food from the various cultures we have!

Hope to see you there!
Call 801-466-3238 for more information.

Local school empowers our teens to succeed

2011-06-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Most of the Junior High students attending Hser Ner Moo go to Granite Park Junior High School. They are portrayed on this link and video.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Welcome Center Soccer Tournament

2010-08-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is our happy face before the game on Saturday. It was a hot day but our team played their best. The junior team came in 3 rd place and the senior team lost. Everyone had a great time!

Balloon release in memory of Hser Ner Moo's birthday

2010-07-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

HNM Soccer Team

2010-06-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

We came in 3rd place. The students had so much fun! We look forward to the July 31's next tournament. It will be at the Old Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (2800S 200E)

Welcome Center Tournament June 5

2010-06-02T17:22:00.001-07:00

We are getting ready for our Soccer Tournament this Saturday, June 5 in Midvale. This is a partnership between all the welcome centers including HNM, Horizonte, Midvale, and UNP Hartland.

HNM will have 2 teams: 9-12 year old and 13-18 year old.

They have been practicing for almost 2 months now and they are ready. The big hit is that they will be wearing a shirt with the HNM logo on it.

Please come support our team. For further information, follow us on facebook.

Earth Day

2010-04-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

We care about the earth we live in!
On Earth Day, the kids who attends the Center picked up trash around their community.

Happy Earth Day!

Seniors

2010-04-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

The HNM Community & Welcome Center reaches out to all age group in the community of South Salt Lake. We had some of our seniors come in and do puzzles. They struggled a little bit but then they got the hang of it and loved it.

INTERCESSION

2010-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Woodrow Wilson Elementary had a break for 2 and half weeks. To keep the kids at South Parc busy, we had the following activities:

RAD Kids all week (March 22 - 26) by SSL Police and wonderful SSL Rec Department staff. These K-6 graders learned different skills on how to stay safe and prevent violence.
Some parents were able to assist their graduation and were happy to see their children practice what they have learned.

Bowling at Fat Cats the following week and a fieldtrip to Sweet's Candy Factory: The kids have earned coupons from full attendance at school. We have collected them and took a group to go bowling. Everyone had a blast even the kindergarteners who hardly knew how to throw the bowl. Thanks Woodrow Wilson and Fat Cats. The visit to the Sweet's Candy Factory was another favorite to the kids. Of course every kid loves candy but this was unique. They saw where they make candy and how they really smell in the factory.

The Center also started an ESL for moms in the morning. Thanks to ESLC for providing us a teacher. These moms are able to study English with their little ones on Mondays and Wednesdays. We have had up to 12 mothers who showed up to this class every class session. They need it!

February update

2010-03-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

1. Our first cultural celebration this year took place on Feb 20. The theme was "celebrate our cultures through dance. We learn dances from all over the world that were taught by the different communities: Nepali, Karen, Malagasy, Irish, and American.
2. 9 of our Junior High students are part of CHILL, a snowboarding program sponsored by Burton and Brighton. The 2010 program started on Feb 6 thru March 17. The kids are enjoying this great opportunity. They are taught some good principles: patience, persistence, respect, pride ...
3. At least 5 new families moved in to South Parc Townhomes this month. They are from Iraq, Nepal, Burma, the Congo, and Zaire.
5. We held a free clinic through the partnership with URLEND. Residents rushed in to get their blood, their teeth, and their hearing checked. We hope to be able to ensure a follow-up by working along with the ressetlement agencies such as IRC and CCS and Asian Association.

Still here ...

2010-01-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun things are happening at our Center:
1. We are planning our first Community Celebration this year. It will be in February and we will have each culture teach a native dance to the rest of the community.
2. Our After School program is rolling. We noticed a positive academic improvement among many of our students. Yes, they know their timetables and they speak English more often.
3. More and more volunteers come in the evenings to tutor our teens math, science, and English. It's also in the loop that we may apply for the "Safe passages" grant to expand out teens programs.
4. We miss 2 of our african families who moved out last month. They are often in our hearts and mind.
5. More partners are rushing in to provide programs for our community.
6. We built shelves in the Center to better use our cozy and homy space.

More details to come ...

A Missing Peace

2009-12-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

Julia Lyon, a journalist from the Salt Lake Tribune developed this project to tell the story of Hser Ner Moo, her family, and their culture. Also, a profound discussion about refugee resettlement is found in this fine project. Click on the picture below to link to the report.

We got 100% on SEP attendance

2009-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Woodrow Wilson Elementary SEP Conference for our K-6 graders was held last week on Wednesday and Thursday (Nov 18-19). Despite their busy schedule, every parent who resides at South Parc Townhomes apartments and has a child/children attending the school made their time to go to SEP, and we are proud to say that we got 100% attendance. They were happy to learn of their children's progress in school; they listened and asked questions during the conference.
Since we opened last year, this is the 3rd SEP conference we've had and we pulled it together this time. It takes more that one hand to do it. We collaborated with the school through their Community Learning Center staff and of course the teachers. We thank them for this great collaboration. Transportation, translators, and scheduling were also arranged in order to facilitate access to the conference.
Also, some of the HNM Center staff had the opportunity to interact with teachers during the conference. We encouraged the teachers to urge their students to come to our afterschool programs to receive homework help. An important message was shared that we are all working together in helping our students succeed in their academic pursuit.

Gratitude

2009-11-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Below is an article from our November newsletter:

"Last month, the Resident Committee members including Jen Griggs, Kamala Bhattarai, April Paw, Sandy Palestina, and Marguerite Lyonze organized our quarterly community event. They named it “Fall Festival”, and it took place at the Columbus Center. It was to remind everyone of the meaning of the season – GRATITUDE. The words “Thank You” in different languages (Karen, Burmese, French, English, Kirundi, Somali, Spanish, etc …) were on every table during the event. Food, games, face painting, and music were provided for entertainment and everyone who came had a fabulous time.

Perhaps the most fun part was the pumpkin carving contest. Families participated by taking a pumpkin home the day before, carved it as a family, then brought it to the event for display and the contest. Three families won a full basket of fruits and vegetables. We want to thank the Resident Committee for their hard work and their commitment in the last 6 months.

On October 24, the residents also had the opportunity to participate in a community activity that was organized by the Bennion Center of the University of Utah and hosted by the HNM Community & Welcome Center. We thank Juanita Huertero, the apartment manager for allowing us to use the South Parc Townhomes complex back field for this project. About 80 college students came to complex to make decoration for patients at Children’s Primary Hospital. There were pumpkins to decorate, pictures to color, cones to paint etc… Parents swung by and said hello! They sent their children to participate in this project. This was truly a demonstration of gratitude by giving back to the community!"

HNM staff --

Last week, we were at the Children's Primary Hospital assisting one our teens who had a hand injury and it was neat to see the pumpkins decorated by our residents being displayed along the entrance of the hospital. We wish we had a camera to take a picture of them at the hospital, but here is one that was taken during the event.

United Way of Salt Lake -- WPN " Power of Your Purse"

2009-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

The HNM Community & Welcome Center's story was told during the "Power of your purse" event last night. United Way -- Women's Philanthropic Network is one of the Center's 2 main funders. The Center is pleased to be a part of the Refugee & Immigrant Integration initiatives. This is the reason it carries the title "welcome center".
Indeed, there is a change, a positive change in our community.

FALL FESTIVAL 2009!

2009-10-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

The resident committee held their quarterly event on Saturday, October 17 at the Columbus Center. They called it "Fall Festival". The event was a celebration of the season; it was beautiful day! Also, a theme of gratitude was enforced as residents were asked to write thank you in their own language to put on different tables as decoration during the event.
Besides the food and the various games, the highlight of the festival was the pumpkin carving contest. Families were asked to participate by taking a pumpkin home and carve it as a family and bring it to the event. There were 20 pumpkins in the contest. 3 were judged to be the best winners: the scariest one, the most halloween one, and the most sincere one. They were all given a food basket with grains, fruits, and vegetables for prize.

A total of 90 people attended the event. It was a happy gathering!

Fieldtrip to the UMNH for the K-6 graders

2009-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

We plan to have a monthly fieldtrip out of the Center for the K-6 graders. Last month fieldtrip was to the Utah Museum of Natural History. We chose 15 students based on their behavior and their hard work. We then had their parents sign permission slips to allow us to take their kids away from the Center.
The students had so much fun learning about their world. They asked questions and they were curious about what they saw. The pictures below express it all.

HNM staff on a teaching moment with the students

What is this enormous thing in front of me?
Wow! I know, that is ...

I want to see ...

It's F. I. S. H.

Parent/Teacher Conference

2009-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Parent/Teacher Conference for middle school and high school in our district was held this week. One of our resident committee members heard the word and put herself to work; first to inform the parents in her language group, then confirm to the Center staff to arrange transportation.

As a result, many of the parents and guardians attended the conference. Despite the language barrier, they were there to support their children. In return, the teachers have enjoyed meeting them and have appreciated their visit.

We, the staff members at the Center have always taken this opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with the school as we play a role in helping students to improve their academic performance through our afterschool programs.

Day of Caring!

2009-09-15T06:44:00.001-07:00

We are partly funded through United Way of Salt Lake. Every year, this non-profit organization plans a national event called "Day of Caring" in which businesses and organizations are called to provide some type of projects to fulfill this mission.
The Center was matched with a local business called Love Sac. We had 5 staff members from them to help re-stripe parking lines and draw apartment numbers on the curb in the South Parc apartment complex where the HNM Center is located. Our staff also gave a big hand to complete this project.

We surely do CARE!

We were on TV !!!

2009-08-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

A press conference on the importance of education was held at the Center yesterday as one of our staff who immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a refugee shared her story with the students. The children who attend the Center has developed a love for learning and appreciate the great opportunity available for them in America. They wish this opportunity would be available to all children all over the world.
The airing was on KSL 5, in Salt Lake City.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Water crisis! we know how to survive ...

2009-08-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

There was a water crisis at South Parc on Friday. One of the pipes broke so the water system was shut down for a few hours. The community didn't mind, they went to get water from the neighbors. It was like back in the camps; no novelty, just as a part of the everyday life.
Everyone still showed happy faces while fetching water.

We took this as an opportunity to implement a curriculum on emergency preparedeness.

What's new with us?

2009-08-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

The elementary school students (K-6 graders) started their new school year (2009 -2010) last week. This means the center is pretty quiet during the day. But when the clock says it's 4 pm, they rush in the door with their homework and school assignments. They are full of excitment when it comes to learning!

We have 65 students registered for the afterschool program. An average of 35 -40 of them come on a daily basis.

Also, notice the logo. Yes, we have a logo !!! A good friend from overseas designed it for us. We feel very grateful for this!

A . B . C.

2009-07-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

We are learning how to read!

One typical afternoon coming from one of the classrooms at the Center:

instructor: what is this letter? (pointing at the letter A)

students: A/a (shouting)

instructor: what is the sound of the letter A/a?

students: [A/a] as it sounds in [at ] or [apple]

6 weeks ago, we received a free software worth $12,000 from Reading Horizons. This program, called "Discover Intensive Phonics" is designed to help students improve their reading skills. We have about 35 students participating in this program and they are enjoying it. They get to have 3 sessions every week in 3 half-hours sections a day. They spend 30 mn on the computer, 30 mn with direct instruction, and 30 mn reading books of their choice. We started with the program on July 1 and there is an improvement already.

Thanks to Reading Horizons for their contribution. This was a treat before the students starts school again soon. Click here to read an article on the South Salt Lake Journal regarding this donation.

Celebrating 4th of July!

2009-07-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

As part of the 4th of July celebration, the students spent the afternoon to make this craft to express their love and their honor to this great country. We reviewed together the history and the founding of the United States. Happy 4th of July!

unity and freedom!

shouting together, "we love America"

WORLD REFUGEE DAY!

2009-06-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Like the rest of the world, Utah also observed this day. Despite the rain, people stayed to watch the soccer tournament, enjoy good food, and perform their show. It was from 9 am to 8:30 pm.

WOW Camp 2009

2009-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

16 students from the Hser Ner Moo Center attended the WOW Camp (Wonderful Outdoor World) through UFY this week. The students had a blast while learning how to care about the environment, developing leadership skills, and experiencing outdoor recreation.

Richness of culture!

2009-06-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

A brilliant idea from the resident committee members, South Parc residents and the surrounding community organized a cultural celebration on June 6 as part of our quarterly community event. It was held at the Columbus Center. Over 150 people attended and it was a happy celebration for everyone!

The audience!

Our young girls modeling their traditional outfits from Burma, Africa, Russia, and Nepal.

The boys modeling their traditional outfits.

Modern outfits from Burma represented by some of the young Karen girls.

Traditional dance by the Karen youth.

Nepali dance by our Nepali youth.

Students attending the Center are singing "This land is your land" in the end.

FYI: There are about 12 languages spoken by the residents of this community, among these are Swahili, English, Turkish, Kirundi, Karen, Burmese, Chin, French, Spanish, Nepali, Arabic, Russian, and few others. We are really rich in culture!

How it came to be!

2009-06-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

It was over 14 months ago when this unfortunate incident happened. A refugee little girl named Hser Ner Moo went missing from her apartment complex on March 31, 2008. After a long search effort by the entire community she was found dead in a nearby apartment.

Many great things have sprouted from this tragic incident; it has brought the community together. The Hser Ner Moo Community and Welcome Center Center was put together by various donors and organizations with the purpose of providing refugees and immigrants the resources they may need to help them adjust to their new life in the United States. The Center is also open to assist the surrounding community.

A portrait of Hser Ner Moo drawn by artist Shirley Ramsley was presented at the dedication of the Center in August 2008.

From an interview last October, Hser Ner Moo's father, Cartoon Wah said his daughter's name means "a life that won't die" and that "her name will never leave; it will always be there helping other people."

With all the good things that have been happening at the Center, her spirit will always remain in everyone's heart.