CONCORD, NH – During this past holiday season, the New Hampshire Association for Justice (NHAJ) continued its annual philanthropic tradition of donating 100 percent of proceeds from live and silent auctions held at our holiday party to a local non-profit. In an effort to assist with the resettlement of Afghan evacuees in our state, NHAJ selected the International Institute of New England (IINE) as this year’s recipient.
The New Hampshire Association for Justice (NHAJ) is a statewide professional association of trial attorneys working to protect individual rights by ensuring equal access to justice.
Chiara St. Pierre, Managing Attorney for IINE states “The New Hampshire Association for Justice (NHAJ) holiday auction was an outstanding event that raised over $14,000 for Afghan evacuees resettled in New Hampshire. The International Institute of New England (IINE) is grateful for the generous contributions from NHAJ donors.
Since October 2021, IINE has resettled 81 Afghan evacuees in New Hampshire and over 400 in Massachusetts. We expect to continue to welcome Afghan arrivals through 2022.
Thanks to the contributions by NHAJ’s members, our new Afghan neighbors will have additional housing support, food security, and cash assistance as they work to establish their new lives in New Hampshire. Along with housing, our immediate focus is on ensuring families have enough to eat. We stock each apartment with culturally appropriate food, provide them with gift cards, and then make sure they have enough money to buy food. We will also use donated funds to help clients pay for utilities until they find jobs.
In addition, IINE provides ESOL programming, job training and placement, and immigration legal assistance. Resettlement is a long process, and IINE relies on the continued help and generosity of donors like NHAJ to support our work. Your gift will create opportunities for Afghan evacuees to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship.”
From Kristin Ross, NHAJ President:
“The New Hampshire Association for Justice (NHAJ) has a long tradition of fundraising for charities that improve the lives of New Hampshire residents and communities. After the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, we recognized the need to support resettlement of vulnerable Afghans, such as those who worked alongside our troops. When we learned that IINE was moving refugees to communities in New Hampshire, we saw the perfect opportunity to provide direct assistance to those in need. I am proud of the generosity of our members and that we have been able to contribute to this important cause. It has been an honor to meet the hard-working, compassionate, and tenacious folks at IINE. NHAJ hopes to continue to partner with IINE during the next phase of the Afghan resettlement effort by providing pro bono legal assistance to help meet our new neighbors’ needs.”
For more information about NHAJ or IINE, please do not hesitate to contact NHAJ Executive Director Marissa Chase at mchase@nhaj.org
