Community Event Calendar

Become A Volunteer

If you are interested in getting involved within our network please contact us directly or click on the “Join the Community” link below. We welcome support for our New Iowan neighbors!


Jun
26

Global Greens Farmers Market

Like to cook? Want to support local farmers? Join us at the LSI Global Greens Farmers Market each Saturday this month at 3200 University Avenue in Des Moines, 9:00am - 1:00pm. The Global Greens program helps former refugee farmers learn about farming in Iowa, access land, and start their own businesses here. You can shop produce, learn about the program and farmers, or learn more about their CSAs or other ways to help support their work! RACI will also be hosting various performances during the farmers market throughout the month, more information on dates/times can be found on our website here.

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Jun
25
to Jun 27

World Refugee Day - Fact Walk (Des Moines Waterworks Park)

Get out and burn off the restaurant challenge food all while learning something new at the same time! We will be posting the History of Refugee Resettlement in Iowa Fact Walk in various locations throughout the month of June. We hope people will get out for fresh air and get moving. Check out the installation at Water Works Park this weekend!

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Jun
20

World Refugee Day - Storytellers event (virtual)

Join us on Sunday, June 20th, for the 2021 World Refugee Day Storytellers event.We will be featuring storytellers from Bhutan, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Myanmar, and Syria and the event will be hosted by Vinh Nguyen. Our local coaches are from the Bureau of Refugee Services, CultureALL, EMBARC, the Iowa International Center, and Lutheran Services in Iowa. This event is being supported by the Bureau of Refugee Services and Bravo Greater Des Moines, and curation support is being provided by Tell&Act. It will be held virtually over Zoom and will be free to the public.

Registration for this event is now open - click here to register.

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Jun
20

World Refugee Day - FIFA Tournament

Do you play Playstation or Xbox? Know others that do? Sign up for the 2021 WRD FIFA tournament! Winners from each bracket will be awarded a $300 cash prize!! This year we will be hosting a virtual FIFA tournament on both Xbox One and PS5. There will be two separate brackets: one for PS5 players and the other for Xbox One players. The tournament is completely virtual, so you will be playing against other participants from the safety of your own home. For more information or to sign up, click here.

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Jun
20
to Jun 26

World Refugee Day - Fact Walk (Franklin Public Library)

Get out and burn off the restaurant challenge food all while learning something new at the same time! We will be posting the History of Refugee Resettlement in Iowa Fact Walk in various locations throughout the month of June. We hope people will get out for fresh air and get moving. Check out the installation at the Franklin Public Library this weekend!

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Jun
19

Global Greens Farmers Market

Catch performances this Saturday by the Karen Association of Iowa, the Bhutanese Community in Iowa, and a Somali fashion show!

Like to cook? Want to support local farmers? Join us at the LSI Global Greens Farmers Market each Saturday this month at 3200 University Avenue in Des Moines, 9:00am - 1:00pm. The Global Greens program helps former refugee farmers learn about farming in Iowa, access land, and start their own businesses here. You can shop produce, learn about the program and farmers, or learn more about their CSAs or other ways to help support their work! RACI will also be hosting various performances during the farmers market throughout the month, more information on dates/times can be found on our website here.

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Jun
12

Global Greens Farmers Market

Like to cook? Want to support local farmers? Join us at the LSI Global Greens Farmers Market each Saturday this month at 3200 University Avenue in Des Moines, 9:00am - 1:00pm. The Global Greens program helps former refugee farmers learn about farming in Iowa, access land, and start their own businesses here. You can shop produce, learn about the program and farmers, or learn more about their CSAs or other ways to help support their work! RACI will also be hosting various performances during the farmers market throughout the month, more information on dates/times can be found on our website here.

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Jun
11
to Jun 13

World Refugee Day - Fact Walk (Des Moines Central Library)

Get out and burn off the restaurant challenge food all while learning something new at the same time! We will be posting the History of Refugee Resettlement in Iowa Fact Walk in various locations throughout the month of June. We hope people will get out for fresh air and get moving. You can find the WRD Fact Walk posted outside of the Des Moines Downtown Public Library this weekend!

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Jun
5

Global Greens Farmers Market

Buy fresh local veggies and meet our farmers at the weekly Farmers Market!

This program reconnects former refugee farmers with the land as they build their new life in the U.S. Through Global Greens, farmers access space to grow food, learn more about U.S. agriculture, and start their own business by selling produce at our Farmers’ Market and in our CSA.

More information can be found here: https://lsiowa.org/refugee/global-greens/

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Jun
3
to Jun 30

World Refugee Day - Fact Walk (West Des Moines Public Library)

Get out and burn off the restaurant challenge food all while learning something new at the same time! We will be posting the History of Refugee Resettlement in Iowa Fact Walk in various locations throughout the month of June. We hope people will get out for fresh air and get moving. Find the installation at the West Des Moines Public Library the entire month of June!

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Jun
1
to Jun 30

World Refugee Day - Restaurant Challenge

Love food? Try new culinary masterpieces and cultures around Des Moines all while supporting locally owned businesses by taking the WRD Around The World Restaurant Challenge. You can print your own Restaurant Passport, and use the link to find a list of refugee and immigrant owned restaurants around Central Iowa. Some restaurants are offering in-person dining, or order carry out!

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Jun
1
to Jun 30

Origami butterfly display making

Feeling creative? Join us this month as we create and display origami butterflies all over Des Moines in honor of the journey people take to come to call Iowa home. Butterflies are international symbols of migration and throughout the month there will be 1,000 on display in different locations throughout central Iowa, in honor of Sadako Sasaki (from the children's story of 1,000 paper cranes from Japan) as a wish for peace for those currently displaced around the world. You are welcome to create and display them at home, as a family, as a business, however works best for you! We will eventually be putting together a collection of 250,000 butterflies together as representation of the 25 million current refugees throughout the world at a later date. More information, including instructions, can be found here. A three minute YouTube step by step instructional video can be found here.

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May
23

Updated Strategies to Maximize Your PPP dollars

Once the PPP loan is in the bank, the 8-week clock begins. Use your money before time is out! Ying will walk through strategies you can use to strengthen your business while staying in compliance so your loan can be forgiven. You will walk away with practical tips for using PPP effectively.

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May
22

Aprende sobre el procedimiento para la condonación del préstamo PPP

Recibiste los documentos del banco y estas confundido si es un prestamo o realmente es dinero gratis? Atiende el seminario para conocer el procedimiento de cumplimiento y puedas obtener la condonacion del dinero. Monica responderá preguntas sobre cómo usar los fondos PPP y solicitar la condonación del préstamo con su banco para que pueda aprovechar al máximo el dinero.

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May
21

Navigating Real Estate and property changes during COVID-19

Real estate can be an great investment opportunity, but of course has risks. COVID-19 has impacted the market, so is it a better or worse time to look into investing in real estate? Ying will be joined by real estate broker, David Yang, in a discussion on what can be a good investment, what to look for, and the right time to buy.

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May
20

Cách thức nộp đơn xin miễn trả nợ của chương trình PPP

Join Hang Vu to learn how to apply for forgiveness of your PPP. A new guidelines from SBA just got released last Friday. Don't miss out this opportunity to learn from the experts! You may have just received the PPP loan and the fund was deposited into your bank account. But you have to pay that money back with interest if you do not spend it according to the forgiveness rules and if you do not document your spending properly or do not know how to fill out the application. Seating is limited, please register right away.

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May
20

The Power of Self-Care (Susan Martin)

Lack of self-care in this ever demanding world takes a personal toll and also allows burn out and pervasive negative attitudes to drive individuals from the field. In this presentation Susan will prove how self-care is not only important for the individual but also for families, programs and communities. Through humor, examples and sharing proven strategies, Susan will not only teach how to do self-care activities ,but will inspire and motivate attendees to develop their own self care plan and rejuvenate themselves to live a life of passion, resiliency and hope.

Susan Martin, LISW is an energetic and engaging presenter who draws on her 28 years of experience as a Mental Health Therapist and Administrator to educate and inspire change. Ms. Martin went to Indianola High School, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BSW and the University of Iowa with an MSW. She has served her community in multiple settings including the Veterans Administration, Hospitals, Home Health organizations and Outpatient Mental Health Clinics. Ms. Martin has worked for Optimae Life Services for 22 years and currently is the Chief Operating Officer.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa would like to thank our presenting sponsor: Iowa Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and our webinar sponsor: Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

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May
19

Getting organized to re-open - webinar by Ying

Our clients told us that they felt lost. From getting PPP forgiven application to remap social distancing at the workplace; from employees refuse to come back to work to the calls from the very kind landlord. It is overwhelming. Listen to Ying today and let her help you getting organized and moving towards to the re-open. This webinar is a collection of solutions from the small business community. Nothing technical and it is prep class for business owners. This webinar will help you feel more prepared to survive and to thrive during this time.

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May
18

***Chinese Webinar: New PPP forgiveness guidelines? How to apply?

Join Prof. Hou and Bo Dong to learn how to apply for forgiveness of your PPP? A new guidelines from SBA just got released last Friday. Don't miss out this opportunity to learn from the experts! You may have just received the PPP loan and the fund was deposited into your bank account. But you have to pay that money back with interest if you do not spend it according to the forgiveness rules and if you do not document your spending properly or do not know how to fill out the application. Seating is limited, please register right away.

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May
16

PPP Forgiveness new guidelines - How to be forgiven?

New guidelines from SBA, freshly released on Friday night! Get it forgiven - you can do it! There are about $120 billion PPP money still available to small businesses. Why aren't you applying? What? Are you are afraid of having to pay PPP loan back? Ok, you are not alone. That is why Ying is back again this weekend to talk about PPP, with a couple of real business cases, that will settle that rabbit in your stomach. If you already know how to apply for loan forgiveness; you would have no fear to apply for PPP loan right now! After all, PPP is designed to help folks like you - teeny small business and business owners. Come to join Ying and get your question ready! It is guaranteed to be fun, informative, easy to comprehend. It is in Yinglish.

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May
14

What Happens After the Call: A Look into Iowa’s Child Welfare Agency (Roxanne Riesburg)

In this webinar, Roxanne will walk participants through the protocol and procedures the Department of Human Services in Iowa takes when they receive a child abuse case report.

Roxanne Riesberg is the Child Protection Policy Manager at the Iowa Department of Human Services. In her role at DHS Roxanne oversees child abuse intake and assessment policies and monitors the maintenance of the Child Abuse Registry.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa would like to thank our presenting sponsor: Iowa Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and our webinar sponsor: Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

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May
11

Impact of Parental Stress on Social Emotional Development of Children

Participants will learn about the key components of social emotional development in young children, and why this aspect of development is of critical importance to their long term functioning in a variety of environments. Specific parenting behaviors/skills that facilitate social emotional development will be outlined as well as how parental stress and mental health problems can decrease the parent’s emotional availability and ability to provide what the child needs for optimal social-emotional development.

Joyce Westphal MSW, LISW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 38 years of experience in social work and mental health. She currently serves as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant to programs in an 8 county area in Iowa and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Winterset, IA. The majority of her career has involved providing psychotherapy through a variety of modalities with young children, adolescents and adults in community mental health, residential and private practice settings. She has served in both clinical and administrative roles and has worked extensively with clients with co-occurring disorders. Her interest and training in infant and early childhood mental health and dynamic psychotherapy has allowed her to provide supervision, education and consultation to professionals outside of her work settings. Her additional research interests include attachment, social emotional development in young children, object relations theory and personality disorder treatment.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa would like to thank our presenting sponsor: Iowa Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and our webinar sponsor: Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

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May
5

Switchboard: Psychological First Aid (PFA) during COVID-19 Response

★ What will this webinar cover?
In any severe mass event, like a pandemic, it is common to have a rapid increase in the number of people experiencing distress, including being scared, confused, overwhelmed, uncertain, angry, and sad. Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-based intervention designed to help stabilize and mitigate psychological distress and to facilitate coping and functioning in the immediate aftermath of disasters and other tragic events. PFA is not counseling or therapy and anyone in any sector can provide PFA. Some of the traditional approaches used in PFA must be adapted to fit the needs of a pandemic or epidemic, where the ability to connect with clients, social supports, and community resources may be compromised. This webinar will review the basic principles of PFA while modifying them for the unique context refugee service providers and their clients are currently facing due to COVID-19. 

★ Is this webinar for me?
This introductory webinar is designed for refugee service providers in the U.S. whose responsibilities including supporting clients who may experience distress. The training will be most relevant for those who have limited or no experience providing psychological first aid. Refugee service providers who have experience in PFA but who would like suggestions for applying PFA to our current environment may also wish to participate. This webinar is not intended to serve as a comprehensive training on the topic of psychological first aid.

★ Why Should I attend?
After attending this 60-minute session, you will be able to:

• Describe the goals and purpose of psychological first aid (PFA);
• Apply the 5 Basic Principles of PFA; and
• Apply the Core Actions of PFA during COVID-19 response.

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May
4

How to Navigate Addiction Within a Family - Nick Leerhoff

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa is connecting agencies to free online webinars in place of the cancelled conference.

Gain an understanding of the treatment process, as well as how change works.  Participants will also learn the different things family members can do to be supportive and help improve their loved-one’s chances of success after returning home from treatment.

Nick has been with St. Gregory Recovery Center since 2011. He started out as a personal trainer and helped develop the Health and Wellness programming. In 2015, Nick acquired his certification to be an Alcohol and Drug Counselor and joined the clinical team. In 2018, Nick became the Director of Community Relations, a position in which he oversees a team that goes out and locates outpatient resources and support groups for the graduates of St. Gregory Recovery Center.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa would like to thank our presenting sponsor: Iowa Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and our webinar sponsor: Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

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May
1

Distance Learning: Ideas From the Field

Literacy programs around the country are faced with converting their instruction to distance learning in a very short period of time. And many administrators, tutors, and teachers have little experience with distance learning themselves. Come hear from people who are figuring it out.

This is the third in a series of webinars ProLiteracy is hosting to help literacy programs convert their instruction to distance learning. In this webinar we'll hear from Tyler Morrone from Zoom. He'll show participants how to use some of Zoom's features: breakout rooms, whiteboard, polling, and other features to enhance your distance learning lessons with students.

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