Friendship Community Project wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to University of Iowa Community Credit Union for their November, 2015 financial donation!

Friendship Community Project wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to our first community supporter, Hills Bank and Trust Company for their October, 2015 financial donation!

Are you an immigrant or refugee looking for a job?

We have two volunteers with laptops available to help students search for and apply for jobs online, using indeedjobs.com and corridorjobs.com websites.  Students with less English can let us know ahead of time so that we can find a translator to help make the process go more smoothly.

Bob and Mike will be available during English classes at Good News Bible Church on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9:45-11:30.  They began helping students apply for jobs on October 21st, and we have many students waiting to work with them.  Come in and ask about this if you need this service.

If you do not know how to use the internet, they may be able to help you with that as well, as time permits.

Karen Wielert, a healthcare.gov insurance marketplace navigator for Iowa, is coming to Good News Bible Church at 845 Pepperwood Lane in Iowa City during our Friendship English Classes to help students and other immigrants prepare for upcoming health insurance enrollment period.  People will be able to meet with Karen during class time to find a health insurance plan or to sign up for Medicaid if they qualify.

This event will take place on Wednesday, October 28th, from 9:45-11:30 am.   Karen plans to make several visits to our English classes into the November-December enrollment period.  32 individuals and families met with her on Wednesday, Oct 14the in preparation for enrollment, and they found the sessions very helpful.

We are making translators available for French, Spanish, and Arabic to help with the process.

Update, November 2015:  Karen Wielert will have to complete the enrollment process on Tuesdays at the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic at 2440 Towncrest Drive.  Translators will be available.  Ms. Wielert will be at the clinic for healthcare.gov enrollment on most Tuesdays in November and December from 9:00AM-3:00PM.  Call first to be sure she is available on the day you want to go.  The number is 319 337-4459.

We  now have 90 students registered in our Friendship English Classes   Classes are nearing capacity, but will remain open to new students until they are completely full, so interested students can come fill out a registration form at 9:30 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays and can expect to attend their first class the next day classes meet.

Our teachers are using the Excellent English textbook series, but students should wait until they have attended class before placing an order to purchase a book at a local bookstore or online.  This is so that they can be sure the level is right for them before spending money on a book.  We hope to have a few classroom copies of books for students unable to afford the purchase of a book on their own.

If any classes become too full to accept new students, registered newcomers will be put on a waiting list to join the class when space is available.  In the meantime, we may be able to find a volunteer conversation partner or group for the students who are waiting, so ask about that if you are interested.

Friendship Community Project is seeking donations to support our  Iowa City adult English language classes  Our most urgent needs at the moment are a printer, copy paper, print cartridges, and textbooks, used or new, for classroom use by students who cannot afford to purchase their own copies.  We also need funds to pay a modest rent to the Good News Bible Church, which houses our English classes.  And we would like to offer our teachers, all former Kirkwood Community College instructors, a modest honorarium for the time they spend preparing lessons and teaching students, as well as the teaching supplies they often purchase on their own.

We are a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, incorporated in the state of Iowa.

Checks can be made out to Friendship Community Project.  Our address is 3223 Shamrock Dr.,  Iowa City, IA 52245.

To register for Friendship English Classes, come to the Good News Bible Church on Pepperwood Lane in Iowa City at 9:45 A.M. on Wednesday, September 9th.  For more information, please see the English Classes page.

Friendship Community Project is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, founded in 2015, dedicated to teaching English language and life skills to Iowa City area adult immigrants and refugees.

We teach English language skills necessary for success. We also promote a sense of community belonging and practical assistance in accessing local resources and learning about our community, serving as an anchor for those new to the community and culture who have not yet formed local ties. Extra curricular activities include a help desk, conversation groups, tutoring in special situations, and conversation partners.

Contact Director Susan Prepejchal at: info@fcp-iowa.org

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