Rochester, NY – Today, Assemblywoman Sarah Clark announced $50,000 in Assembly funding will be going to Mary’s Place to help with the costs associated with outreach, casework management, and language translation services. She and her team joined volunteers and staff at Mary’s Place to assemble holiday bags for the children of New American families.

Assemblywoman Clark said, “Our neighborhoods of the 136th District are truly vibrant because of the many New American families that settle here, but often more support is needed than what the federal refugee resettlement programs offer. And that is where organizations like Mary’s Place step in, providing critical services that ensure New Americans in our city have the support and resources that they need to thrive. Mary’s Place offers everything from delivering groceries and hygiene products, to providing immigration assistance, casework management, and important translation services.We are so very fortunate to have an organization dedicated to making a process that is often difficult and overwhelming, that much easier for our New American communities.

“Mary’s place is so incredibly grateful for the ongoing support from Assemblywoman Clark and her staff,” said Charlsey Bickett, Executive Director of Mary’s Place. “We are especially thankful to be awarded funding this year through Assemblywoman Clark’s leadership that will assist us in doing our really important case management work, assisting individuals who tend to enter the country with very little English and who are often preliterate and cannot read or write. Our ability to help these individuals with paperwork and to make important appointments increases their overall quality of life. This assistance will support our language line telephone translation service, which is approximately $2,200 per month, helping with the translation of approximately 16 different languages. We are also thrilled that the Assemblywoman is helping us today to make holiday gift bags for over 350 children to come and enjoy this Friday.”

Mary’s Place is a refugee outreach center in Northwest Rochester, NY that serves the Maplewood and Edgerton neighborhoods. Assemblywoman Clark’s district encompasses the City of Rochester, Irondequoit, and Brighton.