Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) is thrilled to announce the 2019 Crystal Family New Hope Award Recipients. This year’s two awards of $500 will be granted to Gita Dhakal, a Community Ambassador in CVOEO’s Financial Futures Program, and Lulé Aden, Program Coordinator for Leadership & Social Change at the University of Vermont. The awards will be presented at festivities to be held at the Community Room, City Market, 207 Flynn Avenue in Burlington on November 20th at 5 pm. The public is invited.
Born in Bhutan, Gita Dhakal and her husband found themselves as teachers and refugees in Nepal. Gita, her husband, daughter and son began their new lives in Burlington in 2011, believing in America as the land of opportunity, and seeking a better quality of life.
The transition to their new home was mentally and financially stressful, but they persevered. At first, working fulltime as a hotel housekeeper for $8.00 an hour, Gita was the sole provider for the family. Her husband was suffering from debilitating migraine headaches. After 7 months they bought a car. Four years later, they were both working and they bought a condo, moving out of their small apartment.
Knowing what refugees go through as they transition to living in Vermont, Gita started volunteering at Parent University and the Vermont Hindu Temple, as well as translating for many people. This helped to prepare her to become a Community Ambassador for CVOEO’s Financial Futures Program. As a Community Ambassador she helps Nepali community members to develop their financial skills and to increase their financial wellness. Gita has come full circle.
The 1991 Somali Civil War sent Lulé Aden’s parents to Kenya, where she was born. In 2004, an eight-year-old Lulé and her parents moved to Boise, Idaho. After a year there, they spent a year in Massachusetts, and then coming to Vermont in 2007.
After arriving in the USA, Lulé became the family middle person, helping her parents to navigate between two cultures. As a student, she developed her communication skills and began to advocate for resources for herself. As her English skills developed she began interpreting for her non-English speaking parents. Translating papers, interpreting at appointments and writing bills became part of her everyday life. Despite her parents’ language and cultural barriers that did not stop them from finding ways to support her and her success as well.
Overcoming their lack of knowledge of and access to resources, her parents always supported her with anything that she needed. Their support culminated in the spring of 2019 when Lulé proudly earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development & Family Studies from UVM. Her experiences and support along the way has led her to and prepared her for her role as the UVM Program Coordinator for Leadership & Social Change.
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, "In these difficult times for immigrants we must recognize and honor their contribution to our society and economy. We are largely an immigrant nation, and today's "new Americans" continue that tradition, broadening our culture, our arts, our lives. The New Hope award is a small effort to acknowledge that impact, and to identify role models in this community."
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, by President Lyndon Johnson under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. CVOEO’s mission is to address the fundamental issues of economic, social and racial justice, and to work with people to achieve economic independence. CVOEO’s program staff serves approximately 23,000 individuals annually. Key services include basic needs (food shelves, heating fuel and utilities assistance, and housing), Head Start, domestic violence intervention, financial literacy and asset building, and weatherization. CVOEO serves households with low to moderate incomes in four Vermont counties: Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle.