The cooking class is a part of the recently launched New Roots Senior Program which provides relevant classes, gardening opportunities and field trips in the Seattle area for refugees aged 60 years or older and who have been in the US for less than five years. The program promotes emotional wellbeing and social connections among a community that frequently experiences extreme isolation. Harvest VISTA Anastasia Ryseff supports the program through community outreach and relationship building, ensuring that the programming and planning stretches New Roots limited budget to provide rich educational and local experiences for its participants.
On the weekends, Anastasia works as a server at one of the two restaurants Adam manages. After hearing about her work at the IRC, Adam was curious how he could get involved as a volunteer. Not before long, Anastasia organized the logistics and is thrilled to welcome him back to teach a second class this February for a different group of seniors in Kent, WA.
Through this experience Anastasia realized that building partnerships and recruiting volunteers is sometimes as simple as telling people about her position as a Harvest VISTA with New Roots. She feels fortunate to live in a city where people are receptive to the work done at the IRC which often means these conversations lead curious listeners to inquire about volunteer involvement.
Additionally, she has had much success in forging partnerships with a colder market through writing in-kind donation letters and having phone and in-person conversations with other organizations and stakeholders in the Seattle-area. A few of the other partners she has cultivated for the Senior Program include the Chihuly Garden of Glass, Underground Seattle, Bellevue Botanical Garden and Hopelink. Most recently, she was thrilled to connect with a professional artist and former IRC client, who will provide painting classes for the seniors.
The New Roots Senior Program now serves over 20 recently arrived senior refugees. Anastasia will continue to capacity build and create connections for New Roots newest program in hopes that it will live on past its first year and grow to have an even larger impact to improve well being among South King County’s most isolated communities.