All members & friends are welcome to join the efforts of the Social Justice Outreach Team 

The next Social Justice Outreach Team meeting is Wednesday, April 7 at 1:00 PM.

All are welcome to attend, Contact; Charlotte Corrigan hcorrigan@nullmsn.com for access link to participate

UU Justice Ministry NC Action Hour Friday, every Friday at Noon

Join UUs from all across North Carolina every Friday at 11:00am for UUJMNC Forward Together Friday Action Hour on Zoom https://zoom.us/j/91029655107.  Actions vary from week to week but may include online petitions, texts, phone calls and letters to advocate for justice.

Action of the Week –

Call our U.S. Senators and tell them to Vote YES on the For the People Act – Click here to take action   –  this link provides a detailed briefing on the bill, talking points, and contact information.

Migrant Worker Gift Bags

“If you ate today, thank a migrant worker.”

Soon many migrant workers will arrive here in Henderson County. They will be coming in trucks and vans, weary from previous work and the long trip, carrying their possessions in a plastic bag. They will have to immediately search for housing, knowing many landlords will refuse to rent to them. And when they find a place to rent, they will be relegated to inadequate housing. 

At this point, receiving a small gift with a welcome card showing they are not looked upon with contempt or dismissed is enough to put a smile on their weary faces. The welcome cards with the names of individual senders are as important as the gifts of items of necessity. They will know that many of us welcome them and appreciate their hard work.
Weather and Covid permitting, it would be wonderful if local youth groups could gather outside, wearing masks and social distancing, to pack the gift bags. If this would not work, as an alternative each individual could pack one or two bags and bring them to a drop-off location. To save the environment, cloth drawstring bags would be preferred. Sewers could make the bags out of cloth scraps, hand towels or old cotton or synthetic shirts with shoestrings as the draw- strings. Otherwise, plastic or paper bags could be used. 

Needed items to include are toothbrushes, toothpaste, wrapped bar of soap, bandanna, apple or orange, protein bar or breakfast bar, and card with first name of sender.

If we start now, we should be ready when the workers arrive in late April and early May. We generally have about 200 workers in the first wave of arrivals. Thank you to those of you willing to be a part of this project!  

For more information contact Anne Backer, Heart of Hendersonville Immigration Task Force and member UUFH Social Justice Outreach Team (acbacker@nullcopper.net  or 828 697 0641).

Dream Scholarship Outreach Collection

Our Dream Scholarship Outreach Collection for 2021 began on February 21.  The Dream Scholarship Fund supports the college dreams of DACA students with a maximum scholarship of $2500/year towards tuition and fees.  This our 3rd Outreach Collection of the year; the Dream Scholarship program was founded here in 2011-2012 and is very dear to many at UUFH.  Dream Scholarships mean more to our scholars now than ever before as they face additional financial hardships and disruptions due to COVID-19.

You can donate one of two ways now through March 19:

1). through the UUFH website donation link (“Outreach Fund”)

2). by mailed check (UUFH, 409 E Patterson St, Hendersonville, NC 28739).  Please designate “Outreach Collection” or “Dream Scholarship” in the memo line of your check so your donation can be credited correctly.

Your generosity will be greatly appreciated by SJOT, UUFH and most of all by the Scholarship recipients.

Here are several quotes from current recipients: 

“I am beyond grateful for the support of the Dream Scholarship … I have been able to add a minor and explore career internships that otherwise would have been unavailable.”

A student currently studying nursing says “I cannot wait to graduate with my nursing license and serve the great people of this beautiful community … I know I speak not only for myself but for everyone who benefits from this scholarship when I say Thank You.”