admin

We are pleased to announce that CoFiA has been awarded a generous $1000 grant from the Community Chest of Leonia.  The grant was announced at the annual Agency Day on March 14, 2012, in Leonia.  This gift will enable us to move forward with our important work, including the Monday lunch program, wage theft collection assistance, ESL programs, and now the promotion of our new video, “Why I Am Here.”

 Thank you, Community Chest!

Several members and friends of the Community of Friends in Action, Inc., are enjoying working with ESL students at the Palisades Park Public Library on Tuesday evenings.  Currently there are classes for beginning students, intermediate, and advanced.  The classes are free, and the library makes the space available without charge.  More volunteer teachers are needed.  Contact us at 201-598-253 or info@communityoffriendsinaction.org for more information.

The Wage Theft committee of the Community of Friends in Action, Inc. (CoFiA) continues to receive ongoing complaints from workers about wages that have been earned but not paid.  In one particularly difficult case, a Leonia-based contractor owes several workers thousands of dollars.  Even though the committee and the workers have met with him repeatedly and he has signed an agreement to pay them on a regular schedule, only one of these payment agreements has been fulfilled.  In addition, an earlier payment was made with bad checks, for which the workers were charged a bank fee when they tried to deposit them.

Another current situation involves a young woman whose employer refused to pay her wages for a particular period, and then fired her.  The committee is seeking a meeting with the employer, an employee of a well-known local firm, to attempt to find a resolution.

Many other cases have been brought to the CoFiA committee, which would welcome volunteers to help with finding resolutions.

On Friday, February 24, 2012, at 7:30 p.m., a video-in-the-making entitled “Why I Am Here,” will be presented at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.   The video is supported, in part, with a  grant from the Puffin Foundation, Limited, and with a donation from the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood.

 The presentation of the video is part of an evening program entitled “Unintended Consequences: How U.S. Laws Encourage Migration.”  As an introduction, graduate student Nadir Romo, a son of Mexican immigrants, will provide a PowerPoint and lecture on the impact of Free Trade Treaties such as NAFTA and CAFTA, on the economies of  South and Central American countries.

 The video documents the story of one Guatemalan immigrant, Elìas Garcìa, who tells how trade treaties and the brutal civil war in his country forced him to leave his beloved homeland to find refuge and a source of income in the U.S.  The videographer, Juan Pablo Morales Estrada, provides footage of  Mr. Garcìa’s  family and home in Guatemala, as well as visual documentation of the realities of the civil war.

 The evening will close with a presentation of a dance performance by Grupo Folklórico Tikál, a Guatemalan group that presents historical and cultural information through dance and poetry.

 The evening is free and open to the public, but donations for the dancers and the development of the video are requested.  Checks may be made payable to: CoFiA, P.O. Box 448, 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ 07605.

The Community of Friends in Action is asking for donations to assist with the Wage Theft and Workers Link programs.  Helping workers who have been cheated out of wages they have worked hard for takes many hours of both volunteer and staff time, and the Workers Link program also requires steady attention by CoFiA staff.

Donations may be made payable to CoFiA and mailed to us at P.O. Box 448, 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ 07605.  For more information about either program call us at 201-598-2253.  Volunteers to assist with the programs are also welcome.

National organizations of immigration advocates are cautioning that members of the immigration community need to be alerted to the widespread practice of notarial fraud in relation to the PROPOSED changes in rules  in immigration policy related to the “family unity waiver.”  The changes, if implemented, would make it possible for undocumented family members of U.S. citizens to remain in the U.S. while applications are being processed, rather than return to countries of origin. The wait for processing can take 3 to 12 years, during which time families are separated.

The problem is that unscrupulous lawyers and other advisors (notarios) are encouraging people to file applications now, which can actually work against the possibility of eventual success, if the applications are denied. People must wait until the rule change is finally approved before taking any action.

On Saturday, January 14,2012, from 9 to 1 p.m.,  the Palisades Park Health Department will offer free flu shots, blood pressure screening, and other services to the general public including the day laborers, at the Senior Center at Central and Highland Aves., Palisades Park.  CoFiA staff and volunteers will assist the four Health Department personnel by providing Spanish language services and outreach to the community.

The Community of Friends in Action, Inc., is pleased to report that we have received two grants from the Lutheran Social Ministries organization.  The first grant was donated through Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Leonia, Pastor Peggy Niederer.  And the second was through Zion Lutheran Church in Ridgefield, Pastor Janet Blair.

In addition, St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Leonia provided an additional grant for the program.

Our work would not be possible without the generous donations of organizations and individuals.  Many thanks!

Our energetic volunteer lunch crew served typical Guatemalan food to a large and grateful group of workers at the regular Monday lunch program on Dec. 19.  Enchiladas and tacos from the local restaurant La Esquina Chapina, and wonderful rice and beans provided by our own Angelica, were a big hit with workers and volunteers alike.

Members of the CoFiA wage theft committee announced at the annual meeting on December 15 that they won a settlement from a local contractor who owes several workers for back pay.  Committee members and CoFiA staff worked out an agreement with the contractor for regular payments over several months.  The workers had just received their first payment the night of the dinner–and the committee was informed that the checks were good!  (In the past, they had been given bad checks by this contractor–and then had to pay the penalty at the bank when the checks bounced.)

The wage theft committee is looking for more volunteers to help with this difficult but very important work.  Please contact us at info@communityoffriendsinaction.org if you want to learn more.  Or call us at 201-598-2253 (phone is answered in English and Spanish).