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

Dear Friends, 

I write to you, this week, from a place of personal grief. My younger brother Noah, who was one of my best friends, and my confidant to bounce crazy and zany ideas for a better world, passed from brain cancer earlier this month. He loved life, and he loved to join me in the work of making the world more beautiful for all. He has, now, joined the company of saints in my life who I will turn to as I contemplate ideas and insights and dreams and visions. I wish he was by my side. There is no other way to say it. But, through tears I also affirm that death does not have the last sting of connectivity and community with him. 

Why am I telling you this in the cover letter for RCHP-AHC? I’m telling you because I feel close to you, and thankful for you—you who have chosen to walk with me, and with all the caring people who make up our organization, for a long time now. I’m telling you because I want you to know that one of the ways I’m going to continue to experience the beauty of life and the power of transforming love is in and through the relationships, the partnerships, the projects, the dreams and visions, the transformations that occur through you—the company of saints who walk beside me still on this side of the grave.

I am so thankful for you as I contemplate an Autumn with you....... 

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FEATURE STORY

Q&A with Guerline Pierre 

Guerline Pierre received her Master's in Public Health in 2012 from Montclair State University. In addition to being an I-RISE Support Services and Refugee Health Promotion Program Manager, she continues to do outreach to the migrant farm community, a population that is underrepresented and overburdened with the struggle to obtain the barest necessities of life. 

What did you do prior to working at I-RISE – what's your background? 

“Just prior to I-RISE, I was a stay-at-home mom. I gave birth to my daughter in 2020, and it was during the pandemic, of course. Prior to that, when I was working towards my Master’s degree in Public Health, I traveled to places like South Africa and Peru, doing a lot of service learning, and I also traveled to Haiti quite a bit (between 2009 and 2015) One of the things that inspired me to travel to Haiti, and to pursue my Master’s in Public Health was a book written about Dr. Paul Farmer and his journey, “Mountains Beyond Mountains”. (Dr. Farmer co-founded Partners in Health). 

“That book changed my life and changed the course of how I wanted to live a purposeful life. I wanted to change people’s lives and kind of follow in his footsteps. I was an outreach and community health worker for 8 years in East Orange, working with the Haitian population, focusing on expectant mothers.” 

How did your background prepare you for the challenges that you meet with your I-RISE clients? 

“One population that I used to work with were the..............

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UPDATES & HAPPENINGS

SAVE THE DATE! I-RISE Annual Community Walk Sunday, November 9th from 2-4pm

Reformed Church of Highland Park 

AHC Launches New Program! Comunidades para Americanos Nuevos! (CAN!) - (Communities for New Americans) 

Comunidades para Americanos Nuevos! (CAN!) is the newest program of RCHP-AHC. We will focus on outreach and resource coordination to benefit the most vulnerable immigrant populations, particularly those whose loved ones have been detained by ICE, in Middlesex and Mercer Counties. Since our inception in August 2025, we've focused on delivering diapers, food, and school supplies to families left without any income after the detention of a parent. We will also provide Know Your Rights presentations to immigrants, and educational presentations for community members, faith groups, and service providers who want to learn how to support and defend the rights of their immigrant neighbors. 

To learn about volunteer opportunities, request a presentation, or schedule a meeting, contact Bella Gerstmann, CAN! Program Director, at bella@rchp-ahc.org

The Upcycle Store - New SignUpGenius for Volunteers! 

Do you love giving old items new life? Join us at our Upcycle Shop, where donated goods are transformed and resold to support our refugee community. We’re looking for volunteers to help with: 

• Sorting and organizing donations 
• Creating displays and merchandising 
• Assisting customers with purchases 

No experience is required—just bring a positive attitude and a willingness to help. Every hour you give makes a big difference in keeping our shop running and supporting our mission. 

Click here to sign up for a shift and be part of something sustainable, creative, and impactful!  Questions? Contact soledad@interfaithrise.org  We’re located at 127 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park. Hours of operation: 10am – 6pm Tuesday - Saturday.

Please LIKE and FOLLOW us! 

Speak-Out for Human Rights Recap 

Jean Stockdale, Program Director for AHC’s Still Waters Anti-Trafficking agency, was the driving force behind the September 7th vigil to highlight the importance of human rights for a thriving democracy. We thank all who made this event possible. Thanks to Jean for submitting this recap. 

RCHP-AHC organized a Speak-Out for Human Rights as a reaction to the halting of refugee arrivals, the withholding of federal funds previously allocated for assisting recently arrived refugees, and the stoppage of US programs throughout the nation and the world that improved the lives of the poor. To stay silent in the wake of these and other harmful policies spewing out of Washington DC would be immoral.  

The Speak-Out invited clergy or other representatives from the 80+ congregations that form AHC’s Interfaith Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment –IRISE—and our partner nonprofits in delivering care, to select and highlight one human right and speak about it to the assembled public, showing that the people, united, can rise up to resist tyranny and move forward in creative ways to help our brothers and sisters as God intends. 

The Sunday evening event in downtown New Brunswick ended in a candlelight vigil. Fifteen speakers brought hope and inspiration to all who attended, reaching across racial, religious, and cultural divides. As the sun set and the clouds gave way to a full moon shining on us all, we listened to each other, shared with each other, recognized each other in ourselves, and joined each other to carry light to darkened places in this world.

Thank you Charlie Kratovil and New Brunswick Today for this video recording of the Speak-Out.

CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES

Neighbors Housing Neighbors 

The housing crisis in New Jersey (and around the country) can’t be overstated. Our church secretary/agency administrator, Lisa, receives an average of 15 calls a day from people who are desperately trying to change their situations. The following testimonial was submitted by Denise Rivera, Housing Director for NHN. 

We recently helped a gentleman in his late 70s who had been through a very difficult time. After being hospitalized and spending time in a nursing home, he was left without a home and at risk of falling deeper into crisis. 

Through the Neighbors Housing Neighbors Program, we were able to step in and support him: 

• We found him safe, shared housing in Highland Park. 
• We helped him regain his benefits from Social Security, replace his Social Security card, and apply for Medicaid and food stamps so he could meet his daily needs. 
• With diversion funds, we assisted with his security deposit, making it possible for him to move into a stable home. 

Today, he is no longer homeless and is slowly rebuilding his life in the community. By providing housing, benefits, and support, we’ve been able to restore his stability and dignity.

Comunidades para Americanos Nuevos! (CAN!) 

The same week her husband, the father of her 1-year-old and 9-year-old boys, was detained, Ana (name changed) was the victim of a car crash that totaled her car. Ana did everything right- went to the bank to get a loan and hire a lawyer for her husband, went to physical therapy for her injuries, and used what little money remained to buy a backpack for her oldest for the upcoming school year. This left her with next to nothing to cover rent, school supplies, diapers, and, in the slight chance that her husband was allowed out of detention on bond, to cover the several thousand the courts would ask for.  

After learning of Ana's situation, CAN! connected her with an organization that could cover bond, gave her information about TRA (temporary rental assistance), and scheduled a same-day delivery of food, diapers, and school supplies. Ana is still unsure if she can make rent this month, but CAN! will stick by her side, and her oldest son will start school this year with a full backpack and lunchbox. 

PROGRAM UPDATES & HIGHLIGHTS

Accompany Now! - Click on this link to check out the current newsletter!

Featured Highlights:  

*Navigating family separations  

*Laptop Lemonade  

*Saying “goodbye” and “welcome back” to staff members  

*CAN! - New sister org at AHC! 

Never miss an issue of the Accompany Now newsletter by signing up here 

AHC/DIRE Legal Services – In addition to running clinics for self-filing for asylum, our legal team is also having to pivot to assist our immigrant neighbors who have been swept up by ICE raids and are now in detention centers. Our DIRE legal team works tirelessly to advocate for our friends who have documentation but have become the target of illegal racial profiling and have tragically been separated from their families. 

If you would like to contribute towards this effort, please visit our Donorbox app on the AHC website (AHC Legal Services will appear in the drop-down menu):   https://rchp-ahc.org/donate/  For those who prefer to use one of our other payment methods, just make sure you note “AHC Legal Services” in the memo. Thank you! 

Global Grace Cafe

Fall is here and chilly times will be coming. Why not stop by GG Cafe for a nice hot meal, prepared by our international chefs? The cafe is open from 11:30am – 1:30pm, Monday – Friday, located in the social hall of the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

Fall Farm Shares 

FALL GREENS are available for 8 weeks, starting the first week in October! Global Grace Farm is providing you with Radish, Kale, Chard and Spinach. You can pick up your farm shares from the Global Grace Marketplace at 208 Raritan Ave Highland Park. Click on this link to reserve your share.

Interested in helping our crops thrive? Come out on Saturday mornings, starting at 9:30, to lend a hand and spend some time outdoors to enjoy Autumn in all her splendor. GG Farms is located at 12 College Farm Road. 

For more info, contact Ashar, Director of GG Farm at GGFarms@interfaithrise.org   

Global Grace Health - This program is currently operating 3 days a week and, although federal funding has been cut dramatically, we are grateful we can keep this going. Flu shots are now available. The GG Health Mobile Unit can usually be found at the Highland Park Farmers Market on Fridays. If you’d like to volunteer and/or provide supplies for homeless encampment visits, contact Dr. Bowe’s assistant Sarat at sarat.gghealth@rchp-ahc.org

Global Grace Marketplace - At GG Marketplace, beauty and functionality go hand-in-hand. Stop by 208 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park or Shop online

Housing for Homeless and Low-Income Residents 

We’d like to give a shout-out to Jim Zarra, Project Development Director. Jim has been working behind the scenes for many years now and continues to work tirelessly to help make our housing dreams a reality. Through all the delays, bureaucratic red tape and headaches with buying and rehabbing properties, Jim takes it in stride. We feel so fortunate to have Jim as part of the RCHP-AHC family! 

Interfaith-RISE - I-RISE continues to deal creatively with the onslaught of inhumane actions coming out of Washington DC. Our Annual Walk this year is focusing on raising funds for legal assistance, housing, and job training for our clients. 

Interested in volunteering to prep and/or on the day of? Please reach out to fida@interfaithrise.org

I-RISE Recycled Woodshop - In addition to creating new furniture and rehabbing old furniture for our new store, The Upcycle, woodshop volunteers are working on seasonal items for Halloween and beyond. 

Interested in volunteering? Contact tim@interfaithrise.org  

RCHP-AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORP

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

I-RISE Vineland Office Health & Wellness Day Recap 

We were so grateful to be able to provide our clients with an afternoon of services and fun! Global Grace Health provided blood pressure screenings, plus height and weight checks, and Lakay Access Sante provided comprehensive health education on eye care and wellness. The Commission for the Blind provided approximately 30 families with Free Eye Screenings! The event was topped off with a fun Zumba Class (see video below). Thanks to all staff and volunteers who made this event such a success!

Federal budget cuts have severely affected our staffing and our agency's ability to fully function. However, our client needs have not diminished. 100% of donations from the public will go to Direct Client Assistance. Thank you!