Holiday letter 2023: Remembering our language

Dearest friends,

One evening in early October, three teenagers from Rock Island crossed a St. Ambrose University parking lot and made their way to the ballroom of the Rogalski Center. They were there to hear an author from Rwanda, who, like them, was displaced because of war. Her book is The Girl Who Smiled Beads.

The three teens - Sarah, Riziki, and Betty - sat towards the back and listened, nodding when something they heard from Clemantine Wamariya resonated with their own experience. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to have dinner with Clemantine in a small group.

At first, the girls were quiet as others asked questions. And then, their questions slowly emerged - Riziki asked for ideas on how she can keep her first language when so many people around her speak English.

Clemantine smiled and warmly responded - it felt like Riziki’s question was the singularly most important question of the night. Clemantine spoke of the joy and comfort that a first language brings, and suggested Riziki immerse herself in Swahili whenever possible - listen to Swahili music videos on YouTube, or make a vow to speak Swahili with friends who can do the same. She encouraged her: “Remember your language.” As you can see from the photo on the left above, the three were all smiles when they left after dinner.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase “remember your language” lately, and how we do our work at Tapestry Farms. It’s especially important as we look to 2024 - and you are a part of it all.

Our language of social services: Because the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide is growing at an alarming rate, the Quad-Cities, like so many other regions, is opening its doors to welcome more people who are seeking safety, care, and a place to rebuild. This year, as part of our own efforts to meet the increased need, we accepted our first government grant, added health benefits for our full-time staff (401k coming in 2024!), and increased our knowledge of resources available to refugee families. With all of the new people arriving in 2024, we anticipate that we will top 100 families served by our dedicated staff members and volunteers since our founding in 2017.

Our language of growing food: Shortly after this letter arrives in your mailbox, we will accept delivery of a stand-alone hydroponics unit that can grow between two and six tons of food a year. Through a generous grant from the Deere Foundation and a welcoming space in the parking lot at the QC Botanical Center, our first crop of fresh produce should be ready in March. Meanwhile, approximately 300 people volunteered to tarp, plant, weed, haul dirt, harvest, and tear down our seasonal farm, alongside our two talented farm staff members. We grew more than 6,500 pounds of produce, and significantly improved our efficiency. Thanks to a federal program, we were able to deliver fresh veggies to several food pantries this year and be compensated for our work - a dream come true. We are looking forward to harvesting even more produce next year.

Our language of welcoming infrastructure: Finding food that is familiar and healthy (a donation of goat meat this year was one of our favorites!), being part of an audience for an author with similar experiences, attending to a child’s school conference with a competent interpreter - those are just some of the examples of how our community is emerging to be a life-giving place for all, including Tapestry Farms families.

As we look towards 2024, we are so very thankful for the support you have shown us in the past. You are a member of a circle of care of more than 500 individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations that believe in a Quad-Cities that cares for people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes.

We hope that you are willing to be a part of our work, and consider a gift for 2024. To donate, you can go to our online giving page.

Your investment means that people who speak so many languages - Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Ewe, Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Arabic, among others - can continue on their path of finding home again after their lives have been upended by violence, extreme poverty, or persecution.

Our most important aspiration is that all of the people of Tapestry Farms believe they are supported and cared for along their journey here in the Quad-Cities. We hope they will feel that kindness and perseverance are the languages of Tapestry Farms.

Grateful for you,

Ann McGlynn, executive director

563-370-0004

ann@tapestryfarms.org