Providing English classes will help alleviate the language barrier for newcomers, increasing opportunities for job security and economic stability.
(Philadelphia, PA) — JEVS Human Services (JEVS) is proud to announce a new partnership with Acme Corrugated Box, to offer free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to refugee employees. Limited language proficiency is one of the major challenges for newcomers seeking improved quality of life in a new country. This initiative combines the values of both organizations to help relieve that major barrier and support successful integration for those displaced by conflict and seeking new beginnings, while ultimately bolstering a thriving local workforce.
This partnership comes at a critical time, as America continues to see significant increases in new refugees following international and domestic conflicts. Ukrainian refugees are legally authorized to work in the United States through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is offered to selected nations that are deemed unsafe to return to because of war and other crises. Providing English classes will help set a new precedent of support for employees adapting to life in the U.S., empowering their personal and professional lives by improving communication in the workplace, enhancing job performance, and empowering pathways for independence and economic stability.
The partnership builds upon the success of a pilot program conducted over the summer, where a cohort of 34 Ukrainian employees completed early-morning ESL classes. These dedicated individuals, all former clients of JEVS Center for New Americans (CNA), attended classes as early as 4 a.m. after full work shifts, demonstrating their resilience and tenacity. Classes were led by JEVS CNA team members, most of whom have also overcome the obstacles of adapting to life in a new country. JEVS CNA provides various support services to refugees, in addition to language training, which helps prepare them for the workforce and foster successful integration into society.
The next ESL cohort will begin later this fall.
“JEVS Human Services could not be more proud of this new and innovative initiative, which is an extension of our founding in 1941—to aid Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany,” said Cynthia Figueroa, President and CEO of JEVS Human Services. “This partnership is two-fold. It affirms our commitment to solutions, and creating pathways for every person to achieve independence, economic security, and self-sufficiency. It also illustrates exemplary, impactful leadership and commitment on behalf of Acme, to hire refugee talent and to provide holistic, unique support to ensure their success.”
“This partnership serves the goals of both organizations,” said Bob Cohen, CEO of Acme Corrugated Box. “An investment in our refugee employees is an investment in the future. This echoes our longstanding commitment to the surrounding community. We see this as an opportunity to enhance the lives of so many families that go on to become contributors to the wellbeing of the greater society. We are delighted to have a positive impact on the community where our company operates.”
JEVS Human Services (JEVS) has an 80+ year history in working with individuals to create sustainable paths to independence and economic security. JEVS’ vision is to help every person achieve personal independence and fulfillment. Our mission and vision reflect JEVS’ long-standing history of helping people connect to opportunity and cultivate independence.
Acme Corrugated Box is a leading provider of custom corrugated packaging solutions, with a longstanding commitment to quality, innovation, and customer relationships. Since 1918, our family-owned business in Hatboro, PA has served customers in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region, producing packaging that allows our clients to safely deliver their products to market.
By Miguenson N.
In Haiti, James M. worked as a police officer. This job involved many challenges and risks that put civilians and officers in dangerous situations.
In search of a stable and secure life, James M. and his wife left Haiti. They lived in Chile for a while, where their son was born. Then they traveled to Mexico and eventually arrived in the United States. James M. and his family faced daily challenges, including how to provide for his family’s basic needs.
The Philadelphia County Assistance Office referred James to JEVS Human Services in February 2024. He applied for training and employment services. I enrolled James M. in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and started looking for a job for him. He applied to Amazon where he completed the drug test and background check and was offered a job.
Today, James M. is happy and is grateful for the support and help from JEVS Center for New Americans (CNA).
By Erin G.
JEVS Human Services (JEVS) supports over 16,000 people in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey through almost 40 programs. These programs cover workforce development, Career and Technical Education (CTE), Community Living and Home Support, and JEVS Care at Home.
We hear heartwarming stories from people in JEVS programs that highlight why our mission is to help individuals create paths to independence and economic security.
During Women’s History Month, we’re sharing the stories of three amazing women who found success in JEVS programs:
Jill lost her mom to cancer, inspiring her to care for others and study nursing. She found the right program with EduConnect. Jill is a powerful example for her two daughters, and her oldest is graduating from EduConnect in March 2024!
Click this link to read Jill’s story.
Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Iryna and her family had to leave Ukraine. JEVS’ Center for New Americans (CNA) helped them settle in the U.S.
Click this link to read Iryna’s story.
Originally from Haiti, Marie moved to the U.S. to find better opportunities. Despite facing challenges, her hard work led her to a new path.
Click this link to read Marie’s story.
To explore JEVS’ programs and services, visit our online program directory. Whether you’re seeking workforce development, educational opportunities, community living assistance, or home care services, JEVS can make a difference in your life or the lives of those you care about.
By Rossella A.
Refugees leave everything behind to come to the United States. JEVS’ Center for New Americans (CNA) plays an important role by helping them when they arrive. CNA offers support through programs, job opportunities, and Vocational English Language Training (VELT) classes.
Iryna, who is from Ukraine, studied English and French Language & Literature at Drohobych Pedagogical State University. She then became a certified teacher and taught for over 10 years. Due to the war in Ukraine, Iryna and her family moved to the USA in July 2022. Despite the challenges of starting over in a new country, Iryna stayed determined. CNA helped her create a resume, and JEVS hired her as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. Iryna helps her students enhance their language skills. Most of all she loves the diversity of students in her ESL classes. She says she is learning so much about other places around the world.
Iryna uses a variety of teaching techniques in her classes. She focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening to give her students. She is happy to help others and works enthusiastically on behalf of her students at the Center for New Americans.
By Tetiana F. and Rossella A.
JEVS’ Center for New Americans (CNA) helps many people from Haiti. Haiti is a small country with lots of natural resources, but it is struggling with poverty and crime. Just a small group of people in Haiti have most of the country’s money, while many Haitians live in poverty, earning less than $2.00 a day, and some even less than $1.25 a day. The average salary in Haiti is about 50 times lower than in the United States.
Marie C.N. came to the United States in March 2023. In Haiti, she worked as a school custodian after she finished high school. In the U.S., she found a job as a packer at a company called Greenyard Logistics, even though it was far from her home.
Even though Marie did not speak much English, she worked hard and was always on time. She learned quickly and got better at English. She also kept looking for other jobs. In November, CNA helped her apply for a Warehouse Worker position at URBN. Marie impressed the people interviewing her with her energy, confidence, and humor. They offered her the job, which provided full health benefits and was closer to her home. She works there now and hopes to get a Pennsylvania driver’s license and a car soon.
What is special about Marie is how much she loves Haiti. She shares Haitian culture, music, fashion, and history on social media. She stays informed about what is happening in Haiti and helps her family back there. Marie is proud to be Haitian, and that makes her story stand out. People like Marie make the United States more diverse and show that anyone can achieve the American dream with hard work and kindness.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When the Russia-Ukraine war began two years ago, Yana Klimova and her husband Ivan Gorbatkov quickly realized there was no safe place for them at home.
“We don’t want to go to Russia and we cannot go in Ukraine because my husband, he is a Russian citizen,” said Klimova, who is Ukrainian. They met while they were working on a Carnival Cruise.
“Because of my long contracts and short vacations, I didn’t really follow the politics,” Gorbatkov remembered. “So when it happened, I just grabbed two bags and left.”
He protested the Russian government, saying new laws put his life in danger. “You can’t even stand with a blank piece of paper.”
Fortunately, friends sponsored them to come to Philadelphia nearly a year and a half ago, as part of the Biden administration’s Uniting for Ukraine program.
“It’s difficult to leave everything behind and come to a new country to start a new life,” Klimova said.
Her life and the lives of thousands of others were upheaved due to war. As of December 2023, nearly 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees were recorded worldwide, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. About half a million fled to the U.S., ABC News reported. More than one-quarter of Ukraine is currently under Russian control.
“This happened in a matter of six months,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak, leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. “It was the biggest and fastest forced migration of Europe since World War II.”
In August 2023, some Ukrainians who came to the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine program became eligible for temporary protected status, which means they are temporarily barred from returning to their home country because it is not currently safe.
“A lot of people will not be able, either financially or emotionally, to return back to Ukraine after [this] conflict is over,” said Igor Voloshen, a Ukrainian American immigration attorney based in the Philadelphia area. Since the war, he has had to expand his office to deal with many more inquiries from Ukrainians about their futures in the U.S.
“Should they start buying real estate in the United States? Should their kids pursue higher education?” he said. “I have two dedicated specialists who now are assisting me with solely Ukrainian-related cases.”
Voloshen noted immigration matters for people like Klimova and Gorbatkov could become more complicated after the next presidential election.
“What are our options if, in fact, we are not able to extend our documents? Or if the change in administration takes place and Ukraine does not remain a priority for the American government?” he asked.
For now, Gorbatkov is working in construction in Philadelphia and Klimova is helping other immigrants, through the nonprofit JEVS Center for New Americans.
“Two years of war, we’re still speechless,” he said.
“I want you to do three things, members of the audience,” Gudziak said to his congregation. “If you can pray, if you can advocate, if you can help.”
Over the past two years, the people of Ukraine received a tremendous amount of donations and other forms of support from around the world. There were volunteers with various backgrounds who traveled to the war-torn country to assist however they could, like Gudziak, who also serves as president of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.
Gudziak visited Ukraine 10 times over the past two years, traveling extensively throughout the war torn country for various reasons.
“I go to funerals and go to the cemetery to be with those who mourn. I meet with politicians, civic leaders, journalists, soldiers, hospitals, army chaplains, medical staff.”
Gudziak says since the start of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, Ukraine has seen great devastation. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands are missing. The exact numbers aren’t known.
“In the occupied territories, the Russians don’t allow international organizations to monitor whatever is happening there and Ukrainian and Russian military officials do not issue casualty figures,” he explained.
Joe Dubyk of Jamison, Bucks County is another area volunteer. The 37-year-old Ukrainian-American roofer took two trips to Ukraine and spent a total of eight months aiding humanitarian efforts and developing drones for the military.
“It’s really sad, all of this death and destruction,” Dubyk said, reflecting on how much of a difference his efforts made.
“On a small level, sure,” he said, “I know I got a lot of drones to some guys. I probably saved some lives. But on a macro level, probably not.”
In addition to prayers, the archbishop says Ukraine needs advocates to contact U.S. politicians to approve funding for aid. A standoff on Capitol Hill over an aid package containing $60 billion in military aid has advocates around the world standing up for Ukraine.
“The military assistance is critical because the armaments are literally running out,” said Gene Luciw, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America‘s Philadelphia branch.
The group is a non-partisan community-based organization that has represented the interests of Ukrainians in the United States since 1940. Luciw also sits on its national board.
“We are all meeting with our congresspersons, with senators, with parliamentarians, with world leaders as best as we can, advocating and telling people that Ukraine needs assistance,” he said.
In addition, Luciw calls on the public to make financial contributions through one of the many charities helping the people of Ukraine. “Ukraine will stand, but without U.S. military assistance, it’s not going to end well,” he said.
By Serhii Y.
JEVS’ Center for New Americans (CNA) gives training and coaching for finding jobs to those like refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking. They offer lots of services to help these individuals rebuild their lives in the United States. Many of them had to leave their homelands quickly and come to the U.S. without knowing what to expect.
It’s not an easy thing to do and it’s important that we hear their stories.
JEVS’ Job Placement Counselor and Job Developer Serhii Y. had the following to share about a CNA participant named Yana K.
“Today, I am writing a story about a Ukrainian girl who was challenged to leave her past life and move to the United States with her husband. This story is unusual because Yana and Ivan are an international couple from warring countries: Ukraine and Russia.
They are both sailors and met while working on a cruise ship. Like many married couples, Yana and her husband worked and planned to save money so they could buy their own house, raise their children, and enjoy life. But the war ruined their plans, and they were forced to leave. The war happened while they were working on a ship in Europe, and they were never able to return home.
Upon arriving in the United States, the young couple looked for an organization that would provide free English classes and help them find employment. And this is how they ended up at the JEVS Human Services Center for New Americans.
They are very grateful for the support, help, kindness, and care of the U.S. government and all people.
After attending English classes, Yana and her husband went to work. Yana started her first job in the U.S. at a children’s clinic as a receptionist. When a Case Manager position opened at JEVS Human Services, Yana applied, passed the interview, and joined our team at the Center for New Americans.
Yana is an experienced and successful Case Manager. She assists our clients from all over the world by providing our social services. Our clients love Yana for her dedication and friendly attitude towards them, and her colleagues respect Yana for her professionalism. I wish for Yana to grow with JEVS Human Services and continue to build on her plans in her new home country in the USA.
I am glad to say that this young couple is now back on their feet. They are already helping those who need help and support, just as they once did.”
Click this link to learn more about the JEVS’ Center for New Americans.