RISSE

RISSE is dedicated to helping refugees and new immigrants build sustainable lives in our area. culture and community.

Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) is a family-based center supporting newcomers in building sustainable lives in the U.S. Our mission is to equip refugees and recent immigrants to build sustainable, independent lives by offering language and literacy instruction and support with life skills and integration into U.S. RISSE provides a wide range of support to newly-arrived families, including:

* Youth and adult ESOL classes
* Resume and job skills education
* Immigration paperwork assistance
* Referrals to other human service providers

RISSE works in collaboration with: local colleges, Capital Area BOCES, USCRI, SUNY Albany, Upper New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Catholic Charities, Refugee Round Table, Whitney Young Health Center, United Way, Love Albany, and many other community groups.

09/10/2026

Kinda chic? ✨
Welcoming your new neighbors. 🧡
Showing up for someone starting fresh in a new country 🌎 and being part of their journey as they build a whole new life.

But the *chicest* thing?
Building a community where everyone feels like they belong.

So…
Kinda chic to care.
Kinda chic to show up.
**Kinda chic to support RISSE. 🧡✨**

08/17/2026

Thank you RISSE community for 2,000 followers! We are endeavoring to make our online presence a resource for our community as well as a hopeful reminder of the power of solidarity and coming together. Please share this post and encourage your friends and family to follow!

With gratitude from the RISSE team 🌻🌻🌻

08/07/2026

🎁💛 **Ending Summer with Smiles!** 🎁💛

For the last day of summer classes at RISSE’s Youth Program, our teachers and volunteers came together to make the day extra special for our newcomer youth! 🎉

With presents, lots of smiles, and a whole lot of love, we celebrated a summer of learning, friendship, and building a sense of belonging in a new community. 📚✨

A huge thank you to our incredible teachers and volunteers who put so much care into making sure every child felt welcomed, supported, and celebrated. Seeing those happy faces was the perfect way to wrap up our summer classes! 🥹💛

Here’s to the friendships made, the confidence built, and all the wonderful memories our RISSE kids created this summer! ☀️☀️☀️

💛 **Want to be part of moments like these?**
Volunteer or donate to support RISSE’s newcomer children and families. Visit our website to get involved — **link in bio!** 🌎

07/23/2026

🌦️ 🚨 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.

07/21/2026

🌿 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.

07/07/2026

🎓✨ 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. 💙

06/09/2026

🌿 **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. 🤝

06/04/2026

💙 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

05/18/2026

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. 🌎✨

04/24/2026

✨ 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.

Address

715 Morris Street
Albany, NY
12208

Telephone

+15186211041

Website

http://risse-albany.org/

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