An Orientation

By Laurie LaMarca Juana wandered into Taller de Jose after hearing about our services from a friend of her church. She was not sure Taller de Jose could be helpful, but decided to try anyway. Juana’s son was having trouble completing his immigration application for residency. Her son lived far away, in rural Illinois, and…

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Building Bridges

By Marbella Barajas During my internship at Taller de José, one of the accompaniments that impacted me the most was an adult guardianship case. Clients who seek adult guardianship usually do so because they have an adult son or daughter with severe disabilities who needs the assistance of a guardian to make major decisions on…

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Ministry en lo Cotidiano

Aida Lopez is a rising senior at Dominican University. She is double majoring in Mathematics and Business Management. Through a program at Dominican, Ministry En Lo Cotidiano (MELC), or “Ministry in the everyday,” she has served as a part-time intern at Taller de José since September 2014. In the video below she shares about her…

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Navigating Traffic Court

By Lili Costa I recently accompanied a client, Maria, who was unfortunately involved in a car accident with a truck and was given a traffic violation. As a former client, Maria came back to Taller de José for assistance in going to traffic court. It was arranged that I would meet her early on Tuesday…

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An Act of Gratitude

Marisol originally came to Taller de José almost 4 years ago, seeking assistance with several legal matters. When she first visited, she had recently left a situation of domestic violence and was in the process of building a new life for herself and her children. Taller de José was able to connect her with legal…

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Working Together

By Hillary Buzaid With the cold weather upon us and the recent school cancellations due to extreme weather, I have been sure to ask clients if they have the proper winter attire when I see them. Fortunately, Taller de Jose has a few different ways that we can help clients get winter coats, so I…

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Accompanying New Citizens

By Joan Stopka Some of the accompaniments that have impacted me the most are the trips I have taken to USCIS, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. We accompany individuals there for a variety of reasons, including interviews for those applying for residency or citizenship. I recently accompanied an elderly woman who was ready to…

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Waiting

Acela was a friendly older woman referred to us by Esperanza Health Clinic, a local clinic in Little Village that provides quality bilingual, bicultural medical services to the community.  When she arrived at Taller de Jose, she already knew where to go.  “Cook County,” she said, “Last time they wouldn’t see me.”  It was my…

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