The Impact of Knoxville Internationals Network - KIN - KIN - CONNECT

Hospitality Means More Than Food

5/11/2021

2021 n04
In Clair’s first tutoring relationship through KIN, she helped a middle school boy learn to use his new hearing aids, which helped him excel in school. As much as Clair liked the family—and they liked her—eventually, they didn’t need a tutor anymore. Clair stays in touch, but since then, she has worked with two other new-to-Knoxville families.

In the first, an elementary-age girl needed help with math. Clair has coached her up so that she rarely needs tutoring now. Instead, Clair visits them as friends, including an iftar meal this past month to break their Ramadan fast. (Yum!)

Smart Girls and Smoke Detectors

1/22/2021

2021 n01
Celia heard the beep as soon as she entered the apartment. Using Google translate, she asked Sada, “What is that noise?” But Sada didn’t know, so Celia followed the sound to the smoke detector in the hallway. She showed Sada and tried to explain that they needed to change the battery.

Sada and her husband, Abe, fled their home after Abe’s life was threatened because of his work with the US military.

An Eagle Scout and an Elder Stateman

11/9/2020

2020 n16
It sounds like the beginning of a joke: An Eagle Scout and an elder stateman walk into a used bookstore…

But it’s not a joke. It’s the kind of thing that happens often in KIN’s LaMP program.

The Books Are Free!

9/7/2020

2020 n14
Where is the one place you can—for free—find books:

to help your children with math,
to learn how to cook something new,
to improve your English skills,
and to entertain your children for a few minutes?

“It’s the library, of course,” you say. But what if you had never seen a library?

More Alike Than Different

8/3/2020

2020 n13
Sarah’s purple hair catches many by surprise, so she walked into her KIN interview willing to change the color if Jani, KIN’s Volunteer Outreach Coordinator, thought she should. But Jani loved it, and Sarah began her internship with KIN a couple of days later.

As a college senior, Sarah already knew she wanted a career helping those without a voice in society.

The Encourager Professor

4/21/2020

2020 n07
With over 300 active volunteers, KIN representatives serve the international population of metro Knoxville in many ways. Only a few of those have changed since we began facing COVID-19. For example, while it may look a little different, one-on-one conversation and pronunciation practice continues. For example, Diane* began volunteering with KIN last fall.

The Van Was Loaded Down

2/25/2020

2020 n04
The back of FBC Concord’s 18-passenger van was loaded down with framed prints, floor rugs, linens, kitchen utensils, pottery, even a small statue. On a rainy November afternoon, all the talking fogged up the windows, too, providing a great “whiteboard” for an Arabic lesson.

That’s what happens when six Arab women (and two children) join four American women for a trip to the Great Smokies Flea Market!

Does Mentoring Make a Difference?

1/14/2020

2020 n01
Her tear-filled eyes wide, Abe’s mother pulled her teacher aside after adult English class one day in late August. Her teenage son, a high school senior, was failing chemistry at school and hiding in his room at home. Could the English instructor find a tutor for him? The instructor jumped into action, reaching out to several potential tutors before she found a very bright university student with a keen grasp of chemistry. They began meeting regularly, and Abe’s grades soon rose.

Replacing Ronaldo's Hope

12/3/2018

2018 n03
A bomb robbed young Ronaldo of much of his hearing. Then an international move robbed him and his family of their home and everything familiar. It’s no surprise Ronaldo struggled in school after they reached Knoxville. He couldn’t hear well, and what he heard wasn’t always understandable. He couldn’t sit still in class. He couldn’t finish his homework, and he resisted discipline at school. Ronaldo was frustrated. His parents were desperate.

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865.235.1476
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Mailing
PO Box 31052
Knoxville, TN 37930

Office
6300 Deane Hill Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919

Photos used under Creative Commons from shixart1985, shixart1985