RISSE

🌦️ 🚨 Emergencies don’t wait—and everyone deserves to be prepared 💙 We’re grateful for the success of our **Emergency Preparedness Information Session**!

For newcomers, emergency planning can be especially challenging while adapting to life in a new country. From preparing for **extreme heat, heavy snow, fires, and power outages** to understanding local emergency alerts and response systems, having access to clear, reliable information can make all the difference.

RISSE proudly collaborated with Albany County Health Department and the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) to provide newcomers with practical emergency preparedness knowledge in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

To ensure everyone could fully participate, professional language support was provided in **Spanish, French, Arabic, Dari, and Pashto**, making this vital information accessible to more members of our community.

A heartfelt thank you to our partners, interpreters, and everyone who joined us. Together, we’re building a stronger, safer, and more resilient Capital Region—one informed community at a time.

🌿 The Albany Essential Exchange is back! 🌿
Join us for a free community exchange where neighbors support neighbors.
Take what you need. Give what you can (optional). 💚
You can bring or receive items such as:
🥫 Food
👕 Clothing
🏡 Household essentials
🍼 Baby products
…and more!
Whether you’re donating, browsing, or simply stopping by to connect with your community, everyone is welcome.
📅 Friday, July 24, 2026
🕚 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 240 W. Lawrence St., Albany, NY 12208
Follow AlbanyEssentialExchange for updates and future Exchange Days.

🎓✨ A new country. A new language. A new future.

Finding the path to college and a career can feel overwhelming. As the second session in RISSE’s Information Session Series, funded by the Office for New Americans (ONA), RISSE partnered with University at Albany to host Pathways to College & Career for Level 3 and 4 ENL students preparing for graduation.

The newcomer student participants got the opportunity to learn about the SUNY system, college admissions, academic programs, scholarships, and student support services while connecting directly with university representatives to ask questions and plan for their futures.

One conversation. One opportunity. Endless possibilities. 💙

🌿 **Albany Essential Exchange** 🌿

Free community exchange for food and essentials.

💚 Take what you need
💚 Give what you can (optional)

📅 June 12, 2026
⏰ 11 AM–1 PM
📍 240 W. Lawrence St., Albany, NY

Everyone is welcome! Help us build a community where neighbors support neighbors. 🤝

💙 Health care can feel confusing when you’re new to a country. That’s why community matters.

🌍 In celebration of World Health Day, RISSE hosted a Community Health Resource Fair to help newcomer families connect with local healthcare resources, build confidence, and learn how to navigate the U.S. healthcare system.

✨ Met directly with providers from Chasing Health, St. Peter’s Crime & Victim Support Services, Planned Parenthood, and MVP Health Care.
✨ Learned about healthcare, wellness, and preventive services.
✨ Asked questions, built connections, and discovered resources available right here in our community.

A special shoutout to our MPH intern, Victoria Buell, whose leadership helped make this event possible. Victoria also developed a Basic Healthcare Vocabulary Handbook for newcomer learners, which was distributed to participants and will continue supporting students in RISSE’s Adult Education Program.

Every newcomer deserves access to healthcare, information, and a community that cares. Together, we’re building healthier, stronger, and more connected communities. 💙

ImmigrantSupport CommunityCare HealthForAll CapitalRegion NewAmericans TogetherWeThrive

Every child deserves a reason to smile. 💛

This Wednesday, Albany Medical College brought so much joy to our after-school program with a Teddy Bear Clinic! 🧸✨ Students were given “injured” stuffed animals and guided through different stations to help nurse their fuzzy friends back to health. ❤️‍🩹

There were smiles, tiny bandages, lots of imagination, and a room full of care and compassion. Moments like these remind us how powerful community can be—and how much children thrive when they feel supported, seen, and celebrated. 🫶

Huge thank you to Ganling, Theresa, and the incredible AMC volunteers who made this day so special! ♥️

Want to help create more moments like this?
Volunteer with RISSE, donate, and contribute to our mission of supporting refugee and immigrant families in our community. Every act of support helps us build brighter, more joyful futures for a diverse Capital Region together. 🌎✨

✨ RISSE Community Connections & Moments of Impact

📚 Throwback to our “Know Your Library” session

We loved partnering with to connect newcomer families to free local resources.

New York State has 1,000+ public libraries, yet many newcomers do not have library cards. During this session, nearly 30 participants signed up on the spot. 💙

Families left with access to books, technology, and programs, and the excitement to make the library part of their everyday lives.

🌱 Growth doesn’t always look the way we expect.
Sometimes, it looks like a room full of people—laughing, learning, and gently stretching together.

This Monday at RISSE, that’s exactly what happened 💛

A huge thank you to everyone who joined our **Volunteer Coffee Hour & Training** ☕
What began as a quiet start (and a stubborn doorbell 😅) quickly turned into a joyful, full room—filled with connection, curiosity, meaningful conversations, and yes… sweet treats.

During the training, Dr. Claudia introduced the **Learning Zone Model**—a reminder that growth asks us to move beyond what’s comfortable:

✨ Comfort Zone — what feels familiar
✨ Learning Zone — where we reflect and grow
✨ Panic Zone — where overwhelm can stop us

And maybe the most important part—growth doesn’t happen alone.

It happens in spaces like this one, where we feel safe enough to stretch, stay curious, and show up for one another.

🌟 Thank you, Claudia, for holding such a thoughtful and powerful space.
💛 And to our volunteers—you are the heart of this work.

✨ Interested in joining us? Stay tuned for upcoming trainings and ways to get involved.

As we welcome the New Year, RISSE celebrates what makes our Capital Region truly special—our people. Togetherness, diversity, and shared experiences continue to enrich our communities, strengthen our connections, and inspire hope for what’s ahead. Here’s to a year of unity, understanding, and collective growth. ✨

Thank you to UAlbany’s Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity for joining us to volunteer last month! We enjoyed having you and the enthusiasm you brought to RISSE! 🌎