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In This Issue
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The Simmons Foundation Awards $20,000! Rockwell Fund, Inc. Awards $30,000!
PAIR is proud to announce the receipt of generous funding from both The Simmons Foundation and Rockwell Fund, Inc. These funds have provided essential support for PAIR’s 2010-2011 academic year programs and allowed PAIR to continue expansion efforts to meet the large demand for refugee youth services in Houston. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to these organizations for their support.
Volunteer Appreciation
PAIR hosted a volunteer appreciation event in December in collaboration with Rice PAIR’s documentary screening of Home Across Lands, which chronicles the journey of Eritrean refugees from a refugee camp in Ethiopia to their resettlement in Rhode Island. Nearly 60 volunteers and their friends were in attendance to see the movie, sample delicious Ethiopian food, and be recognized for their service to refugee youth. PAIR staff and Rice PAIR officers selected the following distinguished volunteers for special recognition and awards for their outstanding service:
Mentoring & Tutoring: Allison Raven, Fernanda Pierre, Annie Kuhl, Dandan Liu, David Couch, Jennifer Livingstone, Ollie Barthelmy, and Ryan Aguirre
Saturday Sessions: Ari Berlin, Caren Abraham, and Huy Nguyen
College Counseling: Izzy Spanswick, Fernando Otero, Olivia Low, and Priya Rao
Volunteer Spotlight: Fernando Otero
Fernando with a College Counseling student
Fernando has been a dedicated volunteer with the College Counseling program since the fall of 2010.
Hometown: I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and came to Katy, TX at 13.
School: I graduated from UT Austin and Katy High School. I am currently applying for admission to the MBA program at UT or UT Houston
Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I love to travel and have been to 22 countries.
What do you do outside of your volunteer work with PAIR?: I’m an accountant with an oil drilling company. In my free time I like to play soccer and attend church.
What motivates you to volunteer with PAIR?: Giving back to my community and improving the community I live in.
What is one thing you have learned from a student/mentee?: I have learned a lot! Specifically, I have learned about where they come from – eastern African countries in particular. I didn’t know much about the conditions or situation along the Ethiopian-Eritrean border before.
Did You Know?
Extensive research by the Search Institute shows that only 62 percent of teenagers can clearly name their own spark, defined as something that gives a person’s life meaning and purpose. Furthermore, only 37 percent of teenagers can identify adults who know and support their spark. But, when young people know their spark and have adults who support it, they are more likely to have a sense of purpose, be socially competent, and have better attendance and higher grades in school. PAIR encourages every student to find their own “spark” through positive mentoring relationships between volunteers and students.
- Source: "Mentor Minute" from Mentoring.org. For more information, visit the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota.
A PAIR mentor and mentee
News Digest
Articles about refugees in Houston and relevant issues around the world:
Quynh-Anh McMahan is profiled in the Houston Chronicle for her work with the refugee community through The Community Cloth, a microenterprise initiative empowering refugee women in Houston.
The Chronicle takes a look at the life of refugee Iraqi musicians in Houston.
The UNHCR steps up relief efforts as huge numbers flee Libya to Egypt and Tunisia.
The UNHCR calls for resolution of the political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire as thousands are internally displaced and others flee to Liberia.
After decades of civil war, south Sudan votes for a referendum granting it independence from the north.
CNN features Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma, who was released from years of house arrest in November.
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Has PAIR discovered the next Yo-Yo Ma?
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Newsletter - Spring 2011
On Wednesday, 
and mentoring middle school youth, managing an after-school program, coordinating events and service projects, and leading students through a youth leadership development program. Jenelle graduated from the University of Southern California in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. She is excited to pursue her passion for helping people from all over the world through her service with PAIR!
