Volunteers in Washington County, Oregon needed to help newly-arrived Afghan families

The Portland Refugee Support Group helps newly arrived refugee families in the greater PDX metro area, including in Hillsboro, Beaverton and Tigard. PRSG is committed to creating a bright future for refugees in our community. Recently, there has been a large influx of families in Afghanistan, and they need a great deal of guidance. Volunteers from Western Washington County, including Banks, Forest Grove, Cornelius, Gaston, Gales Creek, North Plains and surrounding areas are welcomed.

If you would like to volunteer to help these families, there is a new Core Volunteer orientation coming up on March 15th. Here is the official announcement:

several new Afghan neighbors have been living in various hotels throughout the Portland and surrounding areas as they wait for long-term housing. We've been working with the community to provide supplies that help them have some of the home comforts they were forced to leave behind. During our conversations with them, it is clear that matching those families with Core Volunteers would help them adjust and navigate the new and changing environment they are in.

To learn more about why Core Volunteers are the backbone of PRSG, we invite you to check out the short video below. We hope it will inspire you to explore becoming a Core Volunteer for one of these new families. Our next Core Volunteer orientation will be March 15th.

Contact Angela Swan <angela@pdxrsg.org if you would like to sign up to attend the orientation and understand more about what being a Core Volunteer is all about. If you decide it's too much of a commitment, you can still volunteer - they have much shorter term/lower commitment tasks you can help with - like helping a family move. All volunteers are required to go through the orientation (it's online) and undergo a background check.

Also, PRSG will be starting a monthly Conversational English virtual meetup for female volunteers and refugees. These meetings will be a great way for women refugees to practice their English skills, meet other refugees, and connect in a fun, practical way. It's also a relaxed opportunity for volunteers to get to know each other and provide a safe environment for refugees to learn more about American idioms, phrases, and casual conversation. But many of our families lack the devices necessary to participate.

Please feel free to share this message with others.

Full disclosure: I'm a volunteer with PRSG. But I'm not a Core Volunteer.