As November approaches, we begin to think about our deceased family, friends and loved ones in a special way. On October 29th, some of the clients from Cabrini Immigrant Services, (CIS) Dobbs Ferry, NY, shared their celebration of Día de los Muertos, (the Day of the Dead), with the residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home.
A beautiful altar was created with love and reverence in the lobby of the nursing home. Each element had great significance. In Mexico and Latin America, it is customary to build an altar to remember the dead. Our CIS clients are from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and Venezuela. Many of our clients cannot go to their countries to celebrate with their own families therefore they are appreciative to celebrate with the ‘Cabrini Family.’
Our clients prayed and spoke in Spanish and English about what Día de los Muertos means to them. Two beautiful songs were performed. One song, La Llorona, is about a mother who is crying for her children who drowned. The other, Remember Me, from the movie Coco, reminds us that if even if a person is no longer with us, they are always in our hearts.
A CIS client carrying the Book of the Dead led a procession with luminaria bags lighting the way. People shared the meaning of the items gracing the altar. It was an emotional time of remembering deceased family and friends by writing their names on cards and placing them on the altar to be remembered in our prayers.
A special thank you to Bonnie Burke, CEO/Nursing Home Administrator at St. Cabrini Nursing Home and Fr. Ron Galt, Vice President for Mission Integration and Pastoral Care, for inviting us to celebrate such a meaningful time at the nursing home. ~submitted by: Lorraine Campanelli, Director, CIS-DF
We are deeply saddened over the loss of our friend, Brigid K. Sullivan. It has been two months since she passed, and to honor her life and care, we have dedicated our community room at CIS-NYC in her name: the Brigid K. Sullivan Community Room.
Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF), held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) for Kids Program for students in Grades Kindergarten-. The STARS program has helped our students by increasing their attention span, improving their imagination and creative thinking as well as building confidence in their verbal and artistic expression.
Our Nutrition Group, hosted by the CIS-NYC Social Services team, carried out its first recipe session last Friday with 17 participants. During the session, participants prepared healthy salad wraps and learned practical ways to add more fruits and vegetables to their daily meals. This hands-on activity is part of our ongoing effort to promote healthy eating habits and increase access to nutritional education for immigrant families.
On Thursday, October 2nd, the walls at Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry, NY (CIS-DF) were bursting with excitement and pride. A special celebration was taking place for four of our students who attend our Sharing Stories! Making Movies! Program. We invited the students’ parents, siblings and some other special guests to share in the celebration. Everyone knew what was going to happen except for the four students. We wanted them to be surprised.
The Cabrini Social Justice Ambassadors of the Cabrini University CAVS (Cabrini Alumni, Volunteers and Supporters) under the direction of Dr. Jerry Zurek, former Chair of the Communications Department, hosted a Zoom with Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS) leaders Lorraine Campanelli, Director of Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY and Amelia Scdoris, Justice for Immigrants Coordinator, at Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC.
As each child entered the room, they were greeted by resident, Sr. Wilda Asfour, who provided bags in which the children collected their bounty. All of the items were coordinated by category to make the selection process easy.
Knitting Group at Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS) – Dobbs Ferry, NY continues to work on outreach projects that benefit others. The group crocheted sixty octopuses for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Octopus Project. The octopuses are given to premature babies to provide them with comfort. The babies hold on to the tentacles, which 
resemble an umbilical cord. This helps to calm the baby down. It also distracts them from pulling on their medical equipment. In addition to comfort and security, it has been found that the babies who hold the octopus experience better breathing, more regular heart rates and improved oxygen levels.
the parents who are journeying with their children.