Monday night, the Iowa Wolves debuted limited-edition Celebrating Community jerseys, that will be worn for this week's AAPI Celebration Night game. You can take one home - the auction for these jerseys is now LIVE and ends 2/25 at 8 p.m.: bit.ly/35cRyZy

EMBARC is honored to join the Iowa Wolves on Wednesday, February 23 for Asian American and Pacific Islander Celebration Night! For every $15 ticket sold at https://bit.ly/EMBARCatIowaWolves, a $5 donation will go directly to support services such as IT Navigator classes, Parent Navigator learning circles, crisis and advocacy support, and more.

Central Iowa resident Sui Par is a mother of three. After moving to Iowa, Sui joined EMBARC’s Community-Based English Classes (CBESL), held in partnership with Lutheran Services of Iowa, and soon connected with other services through Burma Family Focus at EMBARC. Today, Sui is a co-teacher for CBESL, and a mentor/advocate in Burma Family Focus’ IT Navigator and Parent Navigator programs.

Child hospitalizations for COVID-19 remain high, leading one metro organization to host their first vaccination clinic that includes kids, while another plans to distribute information differently than before, We Are Iowa Channel 5 reported this week.

This month, a record number of children were hospitalized across the country due to the virus. …

Allison Pleasant, EMBARC's vaccine access program manager, said they have held three vaccination clinics since November and worked to get as many kids vaccinated as possible.

Mentorship proves crucial in many of our lives. This National Mentoring Month, meet Pray Meh, a RISE AmeriCorps member serving Burma Family Focus at EMBARC.

Pray met her mentor Dr. Patricia Singer through a member support coordinator at RISE AmeriCorps, as part of the program’s guidance for members in Iowa.

The Northwest Area Foundation announced a new grantmaking approach centered on justice and prosperity - and holds up EMBARC’s work as an example of building power locally.

“EMBARC’s constellation of programs — language classes, a multilingual helpline, a legal navigator, youth services, and more — support refuges’ efforts to build more inclusive communities that better meet their needs,” NWAF wrote in their announcement.

We have severe weather forecasts for this afternoon, and some school districts are releasing classes early for safety. Today's wind storm may cause wind speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, which is the same speed as last year's derecho storm in Des Moines. This storm can cause damage. The Burma Family Focus Access Center will be CLOSED today, Wednesday December 15, 2021.

Today in the Des Moines Register: Trusting relationships within the refugee and immigrant community opened up vaccine access across Iowa, EMBARC representatives Mu Paw and Lam Bui said.

After years of hard work, Iowa business owner Min Tun and his family can celebrate two major accomplishments.

Min received the 2021 Outstanding Immigrant Business Award at the Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit, held in Ankeny on Nov. 20. The honor recognizes Min’s determination, charisma and leadership as a local business owner.

This #BlackFriday and #GivingTuesday, join our mission by giving! Your generosity supports essential refugee-led programs and services that expand opportunities for refugees in Iowa.

Donations to EMBARC will support our ongoing advocacy efforts against systemic barriers that hold families back from reaching their full potential as friends, neighbors and community leaders. Your support is a gift to each individual we support.

Giving to EMBARC is easy! Find three options right from your device.

Every Friday, a group of refugees and immigrants from Burma gather in Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center’s (EMBARC) Franklin office to practice yoga. EMBARC’s Burma Family Focus team hosts the free yoga classes led by Steffi S. Lee, an EMBARC volunteer and certified yoga instructor.

Over seven weeks in June and July of 2021, a group of eight refugee moms met each week at Franklin Junior High School to discuss anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, the brain, domestic violence, and similar topics. Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center’s (EMBARC) mental health support group focused on the importance of mental health and prepared participants to bring mental health information to others in their community.

Every four years, presidential elections dominate the news. But U.S. communities hold elections each year. This November 2, vote for your city council, school board, and municipal (city-level) positions. You can make a huge impact in your community by voting and by telling friends and family about voting.

Through the EMBARC Family Focus team’s intervention, a single father and refugee from Burma has regained stability in his family’s life after a tumultuous year. With no income, high language barriers, and three young kids to feed, Eh Doh Wah’s friend recognized the severity of the situation and connected him with EMBARC for urgent support. Family Advocate Iris Tun and other staff stepped in to help.

Outside Vineyard Church in Des Moines, a line of families forms for the Wednesday food pantry—a new initiative launched in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic hosted by Vineyard Church, in financial partnership with Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC).

The IT Navigator project began in response to the increased technological needs in the refugee community due to COVID-19. Now, students from the project take charge by educating the community with digital literacy classes.

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world and severely impacted refugee communities as they lacked digital literacy skills and access to technologies. EMBARC responded to this call, launching the IT Navigator project to assist the community with digital literacy training.

Refugees in Syracuse, New York connected with COVID-19 vaccine information in their native language through EMBARC’s Youtube videos.