Vermont Business Magazine TheChamplain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) has established a new annual award for members of the New American community: The Crystal Family New Hope Award. In this inaugural year, there will be two awards of $500 granted to Fardowsa Ibrahim and Abdelali Amrani. The awards will be presented at festivities to be held at the Bobbin Mill Community Room on November 16that 5:30 pm.
Fardowsa Ibrahim is a senior in the Medical Laboratory Sciences major in the College of Nursing and Health Science at the University of Vermont (UVM). Her family came here from Somalia. As a student with a young family of her own, Fardowsa says, “My parents came here because of war, and they wanted to give my siblings and me the opportunity to receive an education in a safe environment. As the eldest of nine children, being a role model is important… I have seen too many young Somali Bantu women without opportunities…”
Abdelali Amrani, a U.S. citizen originally from Moroco, is married to a Moroccan citizen with whom he has two children. Abdelali and his family were homeless when he came back to the US last spring after living in Morocco for 16 years. Since becoming housed, he has enrolled as a full-time student at Community College of Vermont, has written a business plan for the family’s future Moroccan restaurant, and has secured employment as the coordinator of the interpreter program at the Association for Africans Living in Vermont (AALV). He says, “My family and I are very fortunate to have been surrounded by so many great people who have helped us transition quickly from the dangers of homelessness…We hope in the near future to be able to give back to this community and to help inspire others to do the same.”
This award is sponsored by the Crystal family whose ancestors arrived at Ellis Island as immigrants just over a century ago. The family has a continuing interest in promoting and supporting the rich diversity of the American people. This award will be presented annually around the time of the Thanksgiving celebration, an important time for coming together for common purpose.
Jon Crystal, representing the family, says, “The New Hope Award recognizes and honors the contributions, accomplishments and potential of those who are, or are striving to become new Americans. The people it celebrates are the “new hope” for this country, enriching it in important ways. At the same time, this country represents “new hope” for these individuals, as their lives are shaped anew.”
About CVOEO
The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) was incorporated in May 1965 as part of a national network of Community Action Agencies created by President Lyndon Johnson under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Our mission is to address fundamental issues of economic, social, and racial justice and to work with people to achieve economic independence. Our program staff serves approximately 23,000 individuals annually. Key services include basic needs (food shelves, fuel and utilities assistance and housing), Head Start, domestic violence intervention, financial literacy and asset building, and weatherization. We serve low to moderate income households in the four Vermont counties of Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle.
Source:Burlington, VT. –CVOEO