A MESSAGE FROM SETH KAPER-DALE, CEO, RCHP-AHC

Dear Friends of RCHP-AHC, 

I am blessed to be CEO of an organization that gives me daily opportunities to see the light of the Most High break in upon the world.  While we are a non-sectarian non-profit we are deeply rooted in a faith community (the Reformed Church of Highland Park) and many on our board, staff, the clients, the volunteers, the partner-agencies are largely made up of people who have some rootedness in one or another of the world’s great spiritual traditions.  

I am not shy to say that in the day-to-day expressions of transformation and love carried out in this place I see some Divine Ethic, some Almighty-Neighborly-Love made manifest.  This is one of the reasons I love my work.   

There are different ways to tell the story of RCHP-AHC. I could speak of the 5,000 different clients who received support of one kind or another through Interfaith-RISE, Accompany Now, Still Waters, Asylum Seeker Housing, Re-Entry, Neighbors Housing Neighbors, Global Grace Health, Global Grace Ventures, or our Affordable Housing Development this past year. I could speak of the 200+ staff who, together, make this place tick day in and day out. I could tell the story of hundreds of volunteers who work their magic in ways that make ‘intentional compassionate community’ a reality for those who are coming into our lives. I could speak of the incredible generosity of donors, both community and government, who keep this programming churning. In the soon-to-be produced Annual Report, we’ll give you all that detail.   

But, for now, let me just say that, on Tuesday, from 11am-7pm, the social hall was filled with immigration lawyers and translators and legal aids giving time and attention to the individual stories of those who are frightened right now. AHC hosted that event, through a new grant given by the state of NJ, and the event itself was an act of graciousness. 

At the same time, Global Grace Health was in South River, and Santa Claus was giving out flu shots to kids (needed for public school registration) and holiday gifts. While that was happening a recently released friend was reuniting with his wife and kids after years of being locked-up. They were settling into a home we rented for them in South Jersey. 

While this was happening the wood shop was cranking out dressers for unaccompanied minors and someone was off buying mattresses for dozens of refugees slated to arrive before the end of December.  In Neptune and Trenton, the I-RISE staff were welcoming some of their first refugee families from Afghanistan, Syria and Guatemala to our new offices.   

Around the corner, at an apartment we own, a man recently released from the hospital was settling into a new affordable beautiful studio. Down in Long Branch Jim Zarra was overseeing some of the last activities needed in our ‘predevelopment’ process, before we start construction on 15 units for seniors.   

At Global Grace Marketplace the store was filled with shoppers, making beautiful fair-trade purchases that help put on display a more just economy.  From the church Prayer Chapel, and Fida’s office, staff and volunteers were receiving gifts that they’d be distributing to clients all over Central New Jersey.   

In the evening, the AHC Board met to approve a budget for 2025, and to talk about money matters, and the ‘board stuff’ that is necessary for good order and proper functioning. Without a hitch they made decisions that will keep AHC a vessel of the arrival of in-breaking love. 

That’s just a glimpse of what I observed the other day. It’s the way I know that “on Earth as it is in heaven” is a real thing.  I encourage you to keep supporting AHC, to keep learning about its work, and to offer yourselves up in various forms of participation. If you’re not sure what that looks like, join me for a cup of coffee and a delicious lunch at Global Grace Cafe. Come and see and feel and hear what it’s like to be part of this. 

Peace, Seth 

We wish to express our sincere thanks to our volunteers and community partners for the many ways they volunteer, donate, and support our organizations and our clients. We are humbled and overjoyed by the love you show. May your Holidays and the coming New Year overflow with blessings! 

Was this email forwarded to you by a friend or loved one? If you’d like to receive our newsletters, please click on this link to visit our website Home page to sign up. 

FEATURE STORIES

Hiding in Plain Sight:  Making the Invisible Visible

Submitted by Deb Convery – Communications Manager

On an unseasonably warm Fall Saturday in October, the Blessing Bags have just been completed by members of RCHP and are being loaded into the Global Grace Mobile Clinic, and Sarat Busari, Community Health Promoter, will drive the RV to a homeless encampment down in Monmouth County.  The blessing bags, containing toiletries, snacks, items like warm Winter socks, and messages of love and support, will be distributed to some of the residents of the camp, many who are elderly.

Meanwhile, other members of the GG Health team, and guests like myself, ride down in a separate vehicle with Dr. Norma Bowe, Program Director of Global Grace Health.  We’re stuck in traffic on Route 18 South, so there’s plenty of time to look at shopping malls, some of which are empty, casualties of the on-line shopping boom.  “They’re tearing down these empty malls and building cube apartments – that's what I call them – which will go for $3,000 a month! ”.

The affordable housing crisis has affected most segments of the population, whether you’re a buyer or a renter.  Many of the people in the homeless encampment we’ll be visiting today are elderly, receiving social security and pension checks, but sometimes that’s just not enough these days to have even a modest roof over their heads.  How did we get to this point? 

DACA Recipients: Dreams Realized and Deferred – A profile of filmmaker and Interfaith RISE staff member, Edgar Aquino Huerta

Submitted by Deb Convery – Communications Manager 

In September 2024 Edgar Aquino Huerta received word from the Kaleidoscope Binational Short Film Contest and Festival that he’d been awarded the Grand Prize, finally propelling his short film “Made in America” into the spotlight after a 3 ½ year wait to have his film shown to the film going public. As one reviewer describes it: “Made in America” tells the story of an undocumented student who is in college, but his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) hasn’t been renewed, thus he finds himself in the middle of an immigration raid at his job. It aims to give a voice to those who have gone through similar experiences.”

Edgar, 28 years old, has been the Community Outreach & Education Consultant for Interfaith RISE in the Vineland, NJ office since 2022. About the bond he develops with his Spanish speaking clients, he says “I always feel very blessed because every time we say ‘bye’, they don’t want me to leave, or they ask me to come back the next day”. 

The Migrant Experience

Edgar’s family never planned to stay in the US; they hoped to make enough money so they could go back to Mexico and build their house. They started out as migrant farm workers in south Jersey. Edgar’s brother and sister were born in the US, but he wasn’t (he came to the US when he was 2) and so saw the difference when it came to necessities like health care that were available to them but not to him. The realities became even more apparent when he turned 16 and could not do things like apply for a drivers permit and start applying for part-time jobs.

He was 14 when his mother...........

ARE YOU GETTING THE WHOLE STORY? Some email providers truncate this newsletter due to the length when viewed on a desktop or laptop computer. Look for the “message clipped” text and then click on the blue “view entire message” to make sure you get the whole newsletter.

UPDATES & HAPPENINGS

On the Passing of Rena Gitlitz – A few words from Pastor Seth

 

One of our great partners over the years (starting with Irayna Court in 2008) has been Rena Gitlitz.  She understood what we were about and worked hard to honor our programming and to partner with us in meaningful work.  Rena supported us at zoning board meetings and helped us with Irayna, All Saints, Newark, just to name a few.  She was a huge fan of RCHP-AHC.  She died very suddenly of pancreatic cancer, and I was honored to be asked to host a memorial for her staff at RCHP a few weeks ago.  Person after person stood up to share the ways that Rena empowered them to serve people in need.  We are grateful to have been a part of her life and extend our deepest condolences to her family. 

I-RISE Annual November Walk Meets and Surpasses Target Goal! 

Interfaith RISE is absolutely thrilled to have raised a total of $250,000, surpassing our original goal of $200,000.  Bela Szigethy, a CEO of a private equity firm in NY, helped us in a big way.  We are beyond grateful to Bela and all the other generous donors who believe in our work and know that refugees are a blessing, not a burden. 

There are challenging times ahead starting in January, but let’s rejoice in the knowledge that there are kind spirits everywhere. 

GG Health Clinic Visits Haitian Community 

Dressed in their Sunday best on a warm October day, for the regular Saturday service at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Neptune, members of the Haitian community – some I-RISE clients, some from the surrounding neighborhood – took a few minutes out of their day to get blood pressure taken, tested for TB and Diabetes, and get flu and Covid vaccinations, all provided by the Global Grace Health team. 

I-RISE Case Aid and co-pastor of SDA Church, Wisguet Lahens, after having his blood sugar tested, is the first to be examined, to help the congregation feel at ease. 

A squeamish and anxious woman is cajoled and comforted by her friend while Dr. Bowe tests for TB.

Interfaith-RISE Trenton Office Grand Opening – Save the Date! 

Do you and/or your organization live in the Trenton area, and have you been wanting to engage with Interfaith-RISE as a volunteer? Or maybe donate items for housing for our new arrivals? You are cordially invited to our GRAND OPENING on Thursday, January 16th at 10am. Please see the flyer for more information + a QR code for directions. We hope to see you there! 

HAPPY ENDINGS

Neighbors Housing Neighbors Program 

Pastor Seth shares this testimonial to the power of the AHC Lease/Sublease program: 

The other day I was on the phone with Linda Jay, the woman in charge of housing programs for Middlesex County.  She called me and I could tell she was choking back tears.  There was a 70-year-old woman, just got out of the hospital after a second brain surgery, and while she was inside (for three months) nobody paid her rent, and she lost everything. Now she was living in her car.  She called because she had nowhere to turn.  I was able to say, ‘we’ve got her,’ and Denise Rivera housed her very quickly through Neighbors Housing Neighbors.  Linda was deeply touched by what we have in place.  We would love to have Linda and her team come visit us, to learn what we are doing with our lease/sublease program.   

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS

New Offices and New Staff 

For quite some time now, we’ve had satellite offices in the Trenton/Hamilton and Neptune City/Asbury Park areas of NJ. We are pleased to announce that we have been given federal government approval to turn the Trenton and Asbury Park offices into official locations for Interfaith RISE! This means we are eligible for certain funding sources and can hire a small number of staff members. 

Towards that end, I-RISE welcomes Dan Correa (pictured left), Regional Office Director for Monmouth & Ocean counties, and Victor Pelaez-O'Toole, Case Management Supervisor for our Trenton office (former Case Manager in our Highland Park office). Congrats and welcome to both!

I-RISE also welcomes Todd Buurstra, Community Outreach & Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator; Sahar Clark, Case Management Supervisor; Nancy Joseph, Case Manager; and Ingried Lugo, Case Manager – all in our Asbury Park/Neptune offices. 

New Re-entry Housing Program Staff Member 

Submitted by Trysh Vargas, Director, RCHP-AHC Re-Entry Housing Program 

Christopher “Talib” Charriez is the new Case Manager with the Reformed Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation (RCHP-AHC) Re-Entry Housing program. He obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University-Newark. Talib is deeply committed to the idea of housing and education as fundamental human rights. Drawing from his personal experience as a justice impacted person, Talib applies his insights to help justice-impacted individuals navigate the challenges of reentry and thrive in their communities. 

In addition to his professional and advocacy work, Talib has published several articles and presented at the American Education Research Association's Spring 2024 conference and is currently involved in a groundbreaking documentary project titled THE REDEMPTION SCHOLARS. This documentary film follows the lives of three previously incarcerated men as they navigate the challenges of re-entering society, strive to build new lives, heal old wounds, pursue higher education, and seek redemption.

To visit the Redemption Scholars Website  click on this link  

IG: @Redemptionscholars  

PROGRAM UPDATES & HIGHLIGHTS IN BRIEF

Accompany Now! - Our entire staff of 47 attended a regional event of USCRI in New York State the 29th-30th of October.  This is the first such gathering held (inclusive of all staff) since we started this program in 2019.  Also, we just had a wonderful Regional Supervisor depart for a Director position elsewhere.  It’s tough to see Daniella Capone go. She’s been with us for 3 years, but we’re proud to have been a part of her professional growth and are so grateful for her service.  Congrats, Daniella!

AHC/DIRE Legal – The staff at DIRE Legal has been hard at work this year.  Here are a few amazing stats:  January 2024 to Dec 2024 — 231 Applications were filed serving 77 Afghan clients.  Primarily green card applications (along with fee waiver saving clients $1,440 per application) and then many family reunification applications.  For Ukrainian clients (Jan 24 to Dec 24) they have filed 632 applications for 133 clients — primarily re-parole applications, TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and work permit applications.  All have been approved so far! 

Global Grace Cafe - 

Global Grace Cafe Catering Service! 

GG Cafe now offers catering for events! If you’re hosting an event at RCHP, why not also use Global Grace Catering services for a taste of international cuisine? This in-house service is convenient and reasonably priced, not to mention they offer up delicious entrees, side dishes, beverages and desserts! The Cafe Catering service also welcomes pick-up orders for those hosting events throughout Central NJ. For more info, contact GGCafe@rchp-ahc.org 

Global Grace Farm - GG Farm is in the midst of the high tunnel growing season.  We are currently offering Fall/Winter Farm Shares that include radishes, kale, chard and spinach.  If you’d like to purchase a share, please visit the GG Marketplace website by clicking on this link. 

We can use help from volunteers in the high tunnels on most days of the week.  Please visit our SignUpGenius page and/or contact ggfarms@interfaithrise.org for details. 

Global Grace Health -

One of our most important built-in forms of community connections.  Dr. Norma Bowe is currently creating a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) training class for Haitians, distributing unbelievable amounts of food every week to food insecure people, in addition to still doing the important work of administering vaccines and conducting health checkups with her amazing team while traveling the state in the GG Health mobile unit. 

Global Grace Marketplace - GG Marketplace continues its Rainbow of Sales through December 22nd, so make sure you get there soon!  The shop offers a wide variety of gifts that are sure to delight your friends and loved ones. Shop local and Fair Trade at 208 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park. 

Interfaith-RISE - SPECIAL REQUEST

Dear I-RISE Family – We need all hands on deck!  We will have a steady stream of arrivals over the next few weeks, until late January.  If you can assist in any way, we’d be incredibly grateful.  Please contact Fida fida@interfaithrise.org if you can help with tasks such as airport pickups, apartment setups, grocery shopping, and providing rides to appointments. 

I-RISE Recycled Woodshop -  

Besides blowing productivity through the roof (recently completing 70 dressers, 25 bunk beds, and 7 dining tables for refugees – thanks to Church of Christ Summit for helping!), the amazing elves in Santa’s workshop have been busy at work creating spectacular holiday gifts. Stop by Global Grace Marketplace (see info above) for great sales on I-RISE Recycled Woodshop creations!

If you’d like to volunteer for the Woodshop, click on this link to reserve your spot via SignUpGenius. 

Neighbors Housing Neighbors - Sandra Torres joins Denise Rivera to assist in this growing program. Sandra temporarily has her feet in two places, as our Asylum Seeker Housing program winds down. We are thrilled to have Sandra join the NHN team!

Still Waters Anti-Trafficking - We have recently received permission from TVAP (Trafficking Victims Assistance Program)/Aspire to increase our budget for program costs associated with the program.  This should add a 3rd full-time case manager and increase the percentage of salary being covered for existing staff.  This will be a very positive development for Still Waters, as the client numbers continue to increase! 

RCHP-AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORP

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

On December 6th, staff, honored guests, and clients gathered at our new Interfaith RISE office in Asbury Park for the grand opening.    

The stage was set for a time of sharing and celebration; audience members were treated to speeches filled with inspiration, enthusiasm and hope.   

Dan Correa, our new Regional Director for the Monmouth/Ocean office, comes to us with a history of faith-based, municipal, and non-profit experience.  

Pastor Seth does the ribbon-cutting honors. 

A delicious lunch was served by staff and volunteers, which was topped off with a wonderful sheet cake to celebrate the event.  Thanks to all who made this occasion so amazing! 

A Holiday Season Tradition:  The AHC Tenant Holiday Dinner 

RCHP-AHC hosted its annual Holiday Dinner for Tenants on December 10th. This is the 10th year in a row that AHC has hosted this treasured event, and over 175 guests were in attendance for great food and company! 

Our operations are generally self-sufficient.  However, our client needs vary, and 100% of donations from the public go to Direct Client Assistance. Thank you!