As the fall session of citizenship preparation, computer, and English classes comes to an end, the Gilchrist Center is busy preparing for the upcoming winter session. Citizenship preparation classes will start in mid-January, and computer and English (ESOL) classes will start in February. While many classes will remain online, some classes will be resumed in person. Stay tuned for more information about pre-registration. Meanwhile, people who wish to practice English can join the Gilchrist Center's English conversation classes, which take place year-round and do not require registration. See the classes web page for more information.

The Gilchrist Center shared resources at a Youth Leadership Summit at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, Takoma Park campus. The event, sponsored by the Montgomery County Newcomer Initiative, was an opportunity to interact with high school students from Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill, Northwood, and Wheaton High Schools. Gilchrist representatives also attended a Community Cares event at Watkins Mill Elementary School. Please help with outreach efforts by sharing this flyer with the community.

This year, with respect to social distancing and the need to stay at home, the service event has once again been extended from one day to one week. Volunteers from Montgomery County can choose from a variety of virtual, home-based, or safely distanced activities that honor the life and teachings of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From letter writing to crafting to making financial gifts, all service opportunities benefit the greater Montgomery County community. 

Please browse the activities below for a preview of virtual and home-based volunteer-based opportunities. You can view all available opportunities for the week of MLK here. 

Beginning in January, click on your preferred activities to sign up to join the Montgomery County Volunteer Center's 2021 MLK Week of Service -- January 15-22, 2022. Questions? Email servicedays@montgomerycountymd.gov

Watch Make a Difference

Sandy Smith hosts Make a Difference, which showcases how volunteers are making a difference every day in Montgomery County. On the current episode, Larissa Johnson from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection talks about the “Gift Outside the Box" Campaign. View the program here.

Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center is not currently scheduling any in-person citizenship application workshops. However, APALRC has access to a safe and secure web platform, CitizenshipWorks, which applicants can use and get free help from an experienced attorney in reviewing and drafting their citizenship application. Click here for more information.

The Maryland Bar Foundation's Pro Bono Program provides free one-on-one telephone consultations with attorneys for low-income county residents in civil cases. Click here for more information. In addition, the program is moving forward with a collaborative effort with immigration attorney Rachel Ullman to address SIJS cases. Clients must meet ALL criteria to be eligible. Please refer potential clients to their main line at 301-424-7651.

HIAS Asylee Outreach Project offers free help connecting Maryland asylees (and T visa holders) with the resettlement resources and benefits available to them in the state of Maryland. Click here for more information.

Montgomery College (MC) offers free citizenship preparation classes online via Zoom. In partnership, Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services offers help with the N-400 application for naturalization. For more details, please email

citizenshipprogram@montgomerycollege.edu or visit the website.

Quick Topics Training— How to Screen Your Client for Other Forms of Relief

December 22, 2021, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

“Any Day They Could Deport Me”: Over 44,000 Immigrant Children Trapped in the SIJS Backlog, a free training presented by The End SIJS Backlog Coalition and The Door

December 2, 2021, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (online)

Click here for more information and registration for both events.

The Language Access Program at Ayuda provides professionally trained, trauma-informed interpreters at no cost. Please email interpreterbank@ayuda.com with "Maryland Victims" in the subject heading to learn more and to add your organization to the list of those that will receive services.

CASA, in partnership with Montgomery County, is offering financial assistance to those who are eligible to apply for citizenship but cannot afford the application fee. Click here for more information.

The mission of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) is to help prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable. MCASA is the federally recognized state sexual assault coalition and responsible for certifying comprehensive rape crisis/sexual assault programs to ensure services are survivor centered. Check out upcoming training sessions here.

African Affairs Advisory Group will meet on Thursday December 9 at 7:00 pm. The meeting will focus on HIV/AIDs awareness. The African Affairs Advisory Group meets every second Thursday of the month. Register here for monthly meetings until April 2022.

For more information please email Harrieta.Shangarai@montgomerycountymd.gov.

African American Advisory Group will meet on December 9 at 5:30 pm. For more information, contact julian.norment@montgomerycountymd.gov

Asian Pacific American Advisory Group will not be meeting in December. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Yi Shen yi.shen@montgomerycountymd.gov.  

Caribbean American Advisory Group will meet virtually on December 7 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. For information and to learn more about CAAG, please contact Rodrigue Vital, Caribbean American Liaison at Rodrigue.vital@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Faith Community Advisory Group will meet on December 14 at 7:00 pm. The County Executive will attend and discuss issues relating to the faith community and Montgomery County. Several prospective FCAG members will be joining the meeting. For more information email Kate Chance at kate.chance@montgomerycountymd.gov

The Faith Community Advisory Group will be launching a Afghan Refugee Resettlement Taskforce. The first meeting will be on December 16 at 7:00 pm. Please email kate.chance@montgomerycountymd.gov for more information.

Latin American Advisory Group subcommittees will be meeting in December to receive updates from various county agencies on the activities, programs, and resources relevant to the Latino community as outlined in the Latino Agenda for Action Report 2020. A general meeting will take place in January. For more information, please email Jessy Mejia Terry, Latino Liaison at jessy.mejiaterry@montgomerycountymd.gov.

LGBTQ Advisory Group will meet on December 27 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81227238479

For more information, contact Amena Johnson, LGBTQ Community Liaison at amena.johnson@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Middle Eastern American Advisory Group will meet on December 15 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. MEAAG will provide updates from the Office of Community Partnerships and updates on MEAAG’s ongoing and upcoming activities. Most of the meeting will be dedicated to planning for the heritage month celebration. For more information about the meeting, please contact the OCP Middle Eastern Liaison Arwa.ElBoraei@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Following a fuel tanker explosion in Sierra Leone, which killed close to 150 people and injured many others, members of the DMV African community, county representatives and members of the diplomatic corps (including ambassadors from Sierra Leone and Togo) joined a memorial prayer service at the East County Recreation Center on November 21.

On November 19, members of the community, grassroots leaders and county representatives attended a celebration of life ceremony to pay last respects to Berni Fomengia. Mr. Fomengia was a humble public servant, with a strong passion for community empowerment and advocacy. He served as a commissioner for the Montgomery County Board of Licenses from 2011-2021. Mr. Fomengia designed a quality academic program and culturally diverse curriculum (CADES, USA) that was taught at various MCPS schools. He also organized programs to support low income African American youth and immigrant communities and provided basic services to diverse populations. Berni Fomengia was dedicated to his family and community, always at the forefront and ready to serve.

The 10th anniversary celebration for the Elite Soccer Youth Development Academy took place at the Silver Spring Civic Center in November. County Executive Marc Elrich congratulated the young achievers for their academic and athletic success, and recognized ESYDA’s contributions and its impact on youth in Montgomery County.

The Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce will hold a Government Contracting Acceleration and Growth Seminar on Tuesday, December 14. The link for registration is here. Click here for the flyer.

The County Executive joined the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF) for their Thanksgiving Food Drive on November 20. MCMF distributed approximately 500 boxes of food for families in Montgomery County. Montgomery County is grateful for MCMF and all the organizations that are helping to keep Montgomery County residents nourished during this unprecedented pandemic.

As part of Employee Giving Campaign activities, county employees are invited to two virtual events on December 8 and 15 at 7:00 pm.

On either date, county employees who have registered for the events by making the minimum suggested $20 donation through https://charities.org/montgomerycounty will have the opportunity to learn culinary tips and recipes from a Haitian chef. At the next event, participants will have a virtual dinner with children in Haiti who will benefit from their donation.

These initiatives are made possible thanks to the work of OCP staff members Kate Chance, the Interfaith Liaison, and Rodrigue Vital, the Caribbean Liaison. Following last summer’s earthquake and tropical storm that consecutively hit the Caribbean Island of Haiti, they began working with the Germantown based nonprofit Life Connection Mission (LCM) to coordinate and send relief to the survivors of the two natural disasters. LCM has been doing missionary and humanitarian work in Haiti for over a decade, To learn more about this local nonprofit, visit www.lifeconnectionmission.org.

The County Executive hosted the first Spanish Budget Forum on November 9th at the new Wheaton Regional Service Center. The forum was held entirely in Spanish, with interpretation for those who were not bilingual. The event was cast simultaneously over the county’s government and Spanish Facebook pages to enable virtual participation. Participants' priorities ranged from health services and housing, to support for local hubs and the Salud y Bienestar Initiative.

The Morazan Sister City Committee has begun meeting with members of Congress to request assistance in accessing the Biden Administration’s USAID funds for the development of social programs to stem the flow of immigration out of the northern triangle countries, among them El Salvador. Funding would specifically help build and furnish a national university campus in Morazan state.

The Sister Cities Committee is also preparing to attract new members in 2022. An update on this effort will be provided at its next meeting, which will be a breakfast on January 8th at 10:30 am at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring.

On November 7, in collaboration with the Board of Elections, MEAAG organized a potluck and community conversation about its Voter Education Initiative. The event was designed to educate participants about the importance of voting by connecting different communities with Montgomery County voting resources and facilities. Look for a video recording of the event on MEAAG’s YouTube Channel soon. READ MORE

Thanksgiving Voter Education Initiative

On November 23, MEAAG held its second Voter Education Initiative activity during the Interfaith Thanksgiving dinner convened by the Colesville Community of Congregations and hosted by the Baitur Rehman Mosque. In partnership with MEAAG, the Board of Elections team participated in the event to help inform voters about their rights and duties. For more information about the VEI, please contact Ms. Sahar Fahmy. 

The Islamic Center of Maryland (ICM) was among 29 locations in the U.S. that partnered with Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) to host the Day of Dignity on November 21. The day creates an opportunity for caring individuals from diverse communities to provide services to neighbors in need.

MEAAG organized two activities during the Day of Dignity:

Monthly Public Meeting

The November 17 meeting featured guest speaker Tracy Rezvani, Administrator of the Office of Consumer Protection, who explained the role and services offered by the “other OCP” and tips on how consumers can protect themselves from scams. To receive a copy of the presentation, please email consumer@montgomerycountymd.gov.

MEAAG’s monthly e-newsletter is posted here. The newsletter features the Montgomery County Middle Eastern American communities’ interests and news, along with MEAAG activities. Look for issue four around the fourth week of November.

Hannukah (Chanukah), November 28 - December 6 |  Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8 |  Bodhi Day, December 8 |  Gita Jayanti, December 14 |       

Yaldaa, December 21 | Christmas Day, December 25 |  Kwanzaa, December 26 - January 1 

Empowered Women International’s 2021 Holiday Gift Guide features 40 local women-owned small businesses. 70% of the businesses featured are Black- & Latina-owned. 48% are immigrant-owned. And 90% of the gift guide features businesses owned by women of color. Shop in-person at the 8th Annual Holiday Market on Saturday, December 4 in Silver Spring.

The Montgomery County (MD) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, invites you to grow your digital skills! Learn how to manage work and life tasks more effectively using Google tools. Register here for this free virtual workshop on December 11.

Montgomery County (MD) Alumnae and Potomac Valley Alumnae Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated will present A Divine Nine Education Roundtable with Dr. Monifa McKnight, Interim MCPS Superintendent. The event will be held on December 6 via zoom. Register here.

Lifelong Learning Courses -- Registration is open for Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Institute Non-Credit Courses. Offering Zoom and on-campus classes! 35 new classes are being offered in Spring 2022. Click here for registration information.

Registration is now open for "Havana's Art & Culture: The Intersection of Architecture, Planning, Preservation, and Economics." This is a 3-week virtual (online) interactive and interdisciplinary course offered by the University of Maryland from January 3-21, 2022. For flyer and links to register, click here.

U.S. Census Bureau is Hiring Field Representatives — Are you available for part-time work? Do you enjoy meeting people? Check out the Census Bureau! Become a Field Representative in YOUR area!

To submit your news and events of interest to those serving Montgomery County's emerging communities and neighbors in need, email complete details and/or a news release to the OCP Newsletter.