As election day approaches rapidly, the national dialogue has covered a gamut of topics, one of the most prominent being the role of immigrants in the United States. There is no doubt that immigration has played an integral part in the history of this country, particularly in relation to the economy. As demographics continue to […]
Author: NewBridges
New Voices at NewBridges: Lindsay Wright
Hi there, my name is Lindsay Wright, and I am the new voice of the NewBridges blog! Keep reading for some more information about me and the blog’s future direction. In 2012, my status as a student at James Madison University (JMU) brought me from McLean, VA to Harrisonburg, where the mountainous backdrop, kind […]
The 2016 Harrisonburg International Festival: A Recap
September 24th was a hot Saturday for the cusp of fall–a perfect day for enjoying a sweet ‘mango loco’ on a stick sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder. By the early afternoon, Hillandale Park was swarming with people at Harrisonburg’s 19th annual international festival. Put on […]
New Voices at NewBridges: Abigail L. Bush
Hello! ¡Hola! My name is Abigail Bush. I was born in Pasadena, CA, but I grew up on the east coast, in Souderton, PA. Go Phillies! I found my way to the Harrisonburg area through going to college. I am an August ‘16 graduate from Eastern Mennonite University having received a Bachelor of Arts […]
Why Not Central Americans? The Humanitarian Crisis in Our Own Backyard
During my three months as an intern at NewBridges I’ve had a fair range of tasks. I’ve helped clients write resumes, apply for jobs, and fill out financial aid applications for the hospital. I’ve made copies of passports and translated birth certificates to help my supervisor complete immigration paperwork. Though I do some case management […]
Announcing Taste of the World 2016!
NewBridges is located in a town where children in the City schools come from families that speak a total of almost 50 languages. Our remarkable diversity is the reason that NewBridges exists. As a community based agency, we are funded almost exclusively from individuals and churches. Over the last 10 years, our yearly fundraiser has […]
A Story on Epiphany
Five years ago, NewBridges hosted a community conversation on Epiphany. As the crowd gathered, one of our local community healthcare workers, originally from Guatemala, brought a “rosca,” a sweet bread traditionally used in Latin American communities to celebrate Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day. The group carried about its business for a number of hours and […]
Faith in Action
Sixteen churches are collaborating through Faith in Action, a newly formed interfaith group that seeks to advocate for systemic change one issue at a time for one year. This year, the group has decided to work on a justice issue that impacts our community’s immigrant populations. Your insights on what kinds of systemic and meaningful […]
The NewBridges Immigration Clinic
The Board of Immigration Appeals awarded recognition to NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center as an approved site and Alicia Horst was accredited to provide immigration legal counsel in December, 2014. Over the last 6 months, NewBridges has been meeting with people to provide consultations, representation, and/or referrals to attorneys. We offer this service for a nominal […]
Join us for our 15th Anniversary Celebration
NewBridges began in October 2000, after a group of local Mennonite churches spent time thinking about how to provide welcome and support for newly arriving immigrants to the Shenandoah Valley. After a busy year of starting a new Immigration Law Clinic and moving office locations, we are pleased to take an evening to Celebrate this […]