Cedar Valley Pledges to be Welcoming as Burmese Refugee Population Grows

National Welcoming Week, a nationwide event led by Welcoming America, is Sept. 15-22, and a local group is mobilizing grassroots action in the Cedar Valley.

Local lawmakers, including Cedar Falls and Waterloo mayors Jon Crews and Buck Clark, Waterloo Rep. Anesa Kajtazovich, local business owners and dozens of others have already signed the Cedar Valley Welcome Pledge.

The Welcome Pledge seeks to send a message that the Cedar Valley welcomes all people, including members of our new, quickly growing Burmese refugee community. Volunteer members of Burma Iowa Friends, a coalition of community members focused on assisting Burmese refugees in Eastern Iowa, spearheaded the initiative to get involved in the national movement.

During Welcoming Week, the community is also invited to a Fall Festival on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart, 627 W. Fourth St., Waterloo. Burmese groups will perform, along with other family-friendly activities.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, volunteers will be going door to door in Waterloo, with the goal of educating and engaging local community members about the growing Burmese refugee population, as well getting signatures for the CV Welcome Pledge.

Anyone interested in learning more or signing the Welcome Pledge can visit http://cvwelcomepledge.com/.

There will be an informational meeting for volunteers interested in helping with door knocking on Sept. 15, 7 to 8 p.m. at the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) office in Waterloo, at First United Methodist Church, 614 Randolph St. 

For more information on National Welcoming Week, please contact Burma Iowa Friends volunteers: Lalaina Rabary, lrabary@gmail.com or Alison Gowans, alison.gowans@gmail.com, cell 319-850-3474