Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Interesting Happenings in May at CIS-NYC

May 25, 2023

Since April, CIS-NYC’s Social Services Program has been holding a weekly nutrition workshop on Zoom in collaboration with the Cornell University Cooperative Extension for our Spanish speaking clients. On Friday May 12th, we held our first in-person session, which was attended by 15 people. We did yoga exercises, cooked a healthy recipe in class, and learned about ounces and what percentage of food we should include on our plate to make it a complete plate of protein and fiber. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect in person and learn about healthy habits
together!

The following day, we held a celebration for Mother’s Day for some of our clients, including participants of our support group for women. Twenty one families from the Social Services Department attended the event where they shared lunch and participated in family activities. Participants talked about their mothers and families and about how Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC has supported them.

Hailing the Cabrini Immigrant Services Nutrition Program Graduates

April 11, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, celebrated with our students who completed the course, ‘Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program’ – Part 2.

Lucy Diaz, a Nutrition Program Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County, presented the program. The students had already completed Part 1 of the nutrition program and returned to learn even more information. A Certificate of Completion for the course was given to the students. In addition, they received an insulated bag filled with many useful goodies.

Congratulations to all our ‘graduates’ of the nutrition program. We are so proud of you.

Strengthening Our Cabrinian Connections

April 5, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, had a very special trip for some of our adult students on March 29th. We visited the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in NYC. We received such a beautiful and warm welcome from Julia Attaway, the Director of the Shrine. One of the staff members at the Shrine spoke to us about Mother Cabrini and the beautiful mosaics that tell the story of Mother Cabrini’s travels and great works. We were also able to view the many exhibits and enjoy the beautiful grounds.

During our break, Javier Ramirez Baron, the Director of CIS – NYC, spoke with our group. He spoke about the different services available in his office. He, too, welcomed everyone as a part of the Cabrini Family.

The day ended with a bi-lingual Mass. It was so beautiful to have one of our clients read the Responsorial Psalm at the Mass. She was so honored. Thank you to Fr. Rodriguez for not only celebrating a bi-lingual Mass but for also having a special blessing for the items that were purchased at the Gift Shop.

The day was perfect. It was so beautiful to be able to share together as a Cabrini Family. From the welcome to the good-byes, we truly felt like we all were family.

There’s No Business Like Show Business!

March 29, 2023

The rain and the wind this past Saturday did not deter our trip to the Random Farms Kids’ Theater in Yorktown Heights, NY. Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY, brought a group of our toddlers, younger students and parents, to see the play, The Jungle Book. When we arrived at the theater, each child received a badge showing that they were attending the play. They were so proud of getting the badge.

The actors and actresses were kids ranging in age from 5 – 12 years old. They were wonderful! The costumes were so colorful, the singing and the acting were superb.

Everyone enjoyed the day. Some of the parents said that when they arrived home, their children were so excited as they shared about the play.
Thank you to St. Faith’s House Foundation for your grant which allowed us to enjoy a wonderful day.

Check Out the New Look for CIS-NYC!

March 22, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC (CIS-NYC) has a new website and logo! We’re so excited to finally have a fully updated and translated website, and a new logo that represents our recent growth and our mission. You can check out our website here: www.cis-nyc.org

You may notice the use of shades of violet in our logo and website. When Mother Cabrini was young she would make paper boats, fill them with violets, and float them in a river near her home. She would imagine that the violets were missionaries going to help the poor and vulnerable. Today, violets serve as a special symbol and reminder of the missionary legacy she left to us.

Our new logo also includes a red heart to represent the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and open hands to represent our mission to welcome and support all immigrants. We hope you love it as much as we do!

CIS-NYC Hosts MSC General Council

March 22, 2023

CIS-NYC Hosts MSC General Council

Following the meeting of the Missionary Sisters last week in New Jersey, the MSC General Council visited ministries of the Guadalupe Province in New York including Cabrini Immigrant Services – NYC (CIS-NYC) and the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan.

“Voces de Mujeres” A Welcome Support for Women

March 16, 2023

In November 2022 Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC started the latest cycle of our support group for women, “Voces de Mujeres.” While the group was supposed to end this month, we decided to extend the group due to its popularity and the meaningful relationships the women have developed. This virtual support group has provided a safe space for women to share, to heal, and to learn about themselves and other women’s struggles.

Some of the topics that women have requested are: grieving (honoring our dead), self-compassion, forgiveness, domestic violence, self-care, romantic relationships, women’s role in society, depression, and self-esteem. Yeniset, who has participated in the group said, “To listen to the other women helped me learn a lot through their experiences and to realize that we all go through difficult situations and that we are not alone.” This cycle nearly 80 women have participated in the group and benefitted from the support provided by their peers over the course of 12 sessions

Immigrant Advocacy at the Forefront

March 8, 2023

In recent weeks, Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC (CIS-NYC) staff and Justice for Immigrants members have been busy taking action in New York City and Albany to advocate for the needs of our immigrant community in New York State.

On February 14th, Justice for Immigrants members gathered for an action outside of Governor Hochul’s NYC office to support #Coverage4All, which would create a state-funded health insurance program for ALL low-income New Yorkers regardless of immigration status. One of our members, Barbara, shared her experience of being unable to access care for her son due to being undocumented and uninsured. On the same day, CIS-NYC’s Staff Attorneys, Dalilah and Ariana, went to Albany to support the CARE for Immigrant Families campaign, which is fighting for vital state funding for immigration legal services and the passage of the Access to Representation Act, which would to ensure a right to counsel for all immigrants facing deportation in New York.

Last week, a group of our Justice for Immigrants members also traveled to Albany where they had the opportunity to speak to elected officials about the need to pass #Coverage4All. Members took part in a press conference and a creative action where they delivered messages in pill bottles to the Governor’s office.

Lastly, this week another group of Justice for Immigrants members traveled to Albany as part of the Worker Solidarity Day of Action where they took part in an action and meetings with elected officials to advocate for the passage of the Unemployment Bridge Program. This program would create an unemployment benefit program for all excluded workers in New York (including undocumented immigrant workers).

We are so proud of our incredible members and staff who have shown up, braved the early mornings and cold, used their voices, shared their stories, and given their time to ensure that these vital proposals become a reality this year! ~ submitted by Ella Nimmo, CIS-NYC

You can join us in supporting these campaigns by clicking the links below for more information:

• CARE for Immigrant Families

• #Coverage4All

• Unemployment Bridge Program

Celebrating a Milestone!

March 2, 2023

After many years distributing food to our local community in the Lower East Side, CIS-NYC’s Food Pantry Program relocated to Inwood in Upper Manhattan to begin a partnership with the Church of the Good Shepherd in the Spring of 2022. Since then, we have been working hard to build trust within our new community and expand our impact.

Last week, we hit a major milestone, registering our 1,000th Food Pantry member in Inwood! This means that 1,000 families in need now consistently have healthy, fresh food on their tables and access to a strong network of support through CIS-NYC. Thank you to our incredible staff, volunteers, and partners at the Church of the Good Shepherd for making this happen!

Fun February Festivities at CIS-Dobbs Ferry, NY

March 2, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, had two special programs for our Cabrini Kids during President’s Week. The schools were closed for the mid-winter break, and we thought it would be nice to have our Kids involved in some activities. The children come to CIS for many different programs such as the Afterschool Homework Program.

We held a STARS for Kids program for children in Grades K-2. Deborah Mosley, our trained storyteller, told the story, The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald.

The book was about a dozen eggs that lived together in one egg carton. The moral of the story was that even though each egg was different and unique, they could all get along. Following a discussion of the book, each child created his or her own egg. They shared with everyone what the name of their egg was and a bit about the character.

The children came up with some great names, “Princess Egg,” “Silly Egg,” etc. They were so excited when they received a copy of the book so they could tell the story to their parents and siblings.

We also hosted a President’s Day program for our students in Grades 3-5. They answered some questions such as the first thing they would do if they were the president, how they would make the country better, etc.. The students then went up to the podium and gave their “Presidential Address.”

They also had President’s trivia questions and a word search. We discussed the importance of voting. In fact, each student had a chance to vote. They voted on their favorite symbol of America: the Statue of Liberty, the American Flag or the Capitol. They placed their ballot in a box and then they received a sticker which read, “I voted!” After a first round tie, the Statue of Liberty won as the favorite symbol. We discussed the feelings of winning, losing and acceptance.

The day ended with everyone enjoying some pizza and punch.