West Hill Refugee Welcome Center

Hello all, here are some local, fun and safe activities to do this Halloween!

Hello all. Thank you for your continued support of the RWC families in Albany, and the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center. Here is a recent article on the on-going struggles of remote learning COVID precautions. All clothing and monetary donations that you have given truly does make a difference in the lives of these families. https://www.timesunion.com//Remote-learning-challenges-ref

Hello All! Thank you for your support and generosity, we are blown away by the donations we have received. We are still accepting donations of winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots until October 22nd! Hello All! Thank you for your support and generosity, we are blown away by the donations we have received. We are still accepting donations of winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots until October 22nd!

We are only halfway through our Winter Clothing Drive and we are blown away by the generosity and support! Due to the immediate and large amount of donations, we moved the distribution weekend ahead one week. Starting this past Friday, many from our neighborhood families came to Center and found items they needed. Thank you to all who have already donated, it is greatly appreciated! If you haven’t donated yet and would like to, we are still accepting donations of winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots until October 22nd! Swipe to see more photos from the Clothing Drive on Friday!!

Hello all, please consider donating to our clothing drive from October 11th until October 24th! Any donations are greatly appreciated, if you are unable to donate winter clothing and would still like to donate, we have listed our Venmo! If donating through Venmo please be sure to add Clothing Drive to the subject line! That money will be used to purchase winter clothing for the children, and families. Please share this post. Thank you!

Check out these amazing photos of the new mural! We were blessed with a beautiful last Sunday of summer. It was perfect for working on the colorful mural on the side of the old abandoned gas station across from the Center. Thanks to Sean M for organizing this opportunity for the RWC kids! #RWCkids #RWCfun

It has been a troubled summer in West Hill to say the least. COVID has exacerbated all the problems in this long struggling neighborhood. We haven’t been able to do much in the Center involving group meetings such as ESL classes. But we have been able to benefit from, assist, and collaborate with individuals, groups, and City agencies working to bring and maintain positive changes and directions. We’re fortunate to have so many people around from both home and abroad who have experienced difficult times in the past and know how to roll with the punches. Thank you all for your community and compassion! #RWCwesthill #RWCcommunity

On August 20, there was a pizza party culminating a 6-week Monday-Thursday (9am-1pm) City of Albany Department of Recreation summer camp program at Swinburne Park across the street from the RWC. 25 kids associated with RWC participated in the program. Councilmember Joyce Love, community organizer Kizzy Williams, numerous RWC mentors, board members, volunteers, parents, and siblings of the kids joined in on the fun. 10 large delicious cheese pizza pies were donated by Luigi B... of PJ’s Pizza, a popular take out just a few blocks from the Park. We’re all very thankful to the Recreation Department for putting this summer camp program together. Special appreciation goes to the Recreation Department Program Coordinator Joe J and all the counselors. They clearly showed how much they cared for the kids with their patience and positive energy every day of the program. They gave each child a gift bag tailored to them but the real gift had already been received in the weeks prior. Thank you Joe J., Jerrick J., Jamiyla H., King M., Diamond H., Jordan T., and Kimdo B. #RWCWestHill #RWC

Important Public Health Information! Please repost, like, and share to help spread the word! Everyone is invited to the zoom presentation about diabetes and how to prevent it!

Announcement Use this link to sign up each of your kids in school. Decide if you want them ‘online only’ or ‘in school/online mix.’ Link: https://www.albanyschools.org/news/1686419/enrollment-choice

Continuation of last post... Pictures of the area near the abandoned gas station across from the RWC that we cleaned up on Saturday!

WNYT NewsChannel 13 initially called to see if they could come by for the Kids Arts and Crafts, but this Saturday we decided to finish cleaning up around the old abandoned gas station across from the Center. The lessons learned are the same: aesthetic values can have a tangible and inextricable impact on our everyday life, work, and environment. #RWCWestHill #RWC