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Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers
Floyd group has a calling to help asylum seekers (copy)
She was 5 years old, standing with her mother and siblings in the Dominican Republic when bullets sprayed through a nearby courtyard.
“I'll never forget April 30th, 1965 … I was 5, and the bullets stopped like three or four people prior to us.”
Although born in the United States, Orlando was raised in the Dominican Republic during a time of political violence.
Tara Orlando said she witnessed events that no child should see.
Her commitment to serving asylum seekers in her hometown through the nonprofit she began, Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers, has been somewhat of a calling.
As frightening as those memories remain, Orlando said they do not compare with what many of the asylum seekers she serves have endured.
“Trauma is something that I keep seeing in the folks that we help, trauma from all shapes and forms, from individual trauma to collective trauma to family trauma to you name it.”
One lesson she learned early in her work is that healing often begins outdoors.
“We had a young lady who was 13 when she arrived as an unaccompanied minor, and she came to join her mother who was here, and she was actually sort of suicidal”
The teenager, Orlando said, had started a new high school after fleeing her home country, had no friends, and was struggling academically.
Orlando invited her to join her family on a camping trip in Florida.
“The moment I saw this young girl take a look at the beach and the ocean, her whole demeanor changed. She became alive. She was looking forward to what's going to happen next. I mean, she had an intention in life,’
Today, Orlando said, the young woman has graduated from college and hopes to become a therapist to help trauma survivors.
Through Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers, she organizes camping trips, fishing outings, hikes, giving asylum seekers opportunities to experience moments of peace away from the stress of immigration proceedings, and often overwhelming feelings of anguish.
One volunteer, Michael Williams, offers 25 acres of riverfront property the families enjoy.
Williams said watching children splash barefoot in the river and seeing the kids have freedom to be kids again was especially rewarding.
Orlando flips through a photo album filled with faces of people she has helped, recalling each person’s story in detail.
Tara Orlando shares an image from her photo album taken before she founded Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers. She would meet asylum seekers at the Roanoke bus station as they traveled across the country to their sponsor homes, greeting them with homemade meals, toys for children and personal hygiene supplies.
Stories of corrupt governments, extortions and repeated beatings and families fleeing for their lives and arriving at bus stations with nothing, torn shoes shoes and bloody feet.
“This fellow was beaten so badly where he comes from that he's blind in one eye,” she remembered.
As she turns the pages of the album, stories of children bring her to tears. She points to a young girl with a blank stare, sharing a horrific story she was told.
“There's a lot of cruelty these people endure, intense."
Orlando and fellow volunteers bring the individuals to places around Floyd County and beyond to receive a glimmer of happiness and healing through nature.
The people she meets inspire Orlando and fellow volunteers to provide transportation and legal support.
“It's just a joy to see them just have a little dab of dignity. “
For many asylum seekers, she said, spending time outdoors offers a sense of normalcy and hope.
A look at Orlando’s calendar shows her dedication, handwriting fills up each large slot for each day driving hundreds of miles in her 2013 Mazda CX5 with more than 400,000 miles on the odometer, taking people to medical appointments, immigration court hearings and other essential services.
She transports people to medical appointments, immigration proceedings in Northern Virginia, to yoga, the grocery store and outdoor activities. She said she is encouraged that many of the people she has helped are now earning driver's licenses and purchasing vehicles of their own.
Her end goal is for them to be self sustainable.
“Our purpose is not to meet all their needs. Our purpose is to help them find their way wherever there’s difficulty for them, then we will step in and make sure that they don't fall,” she said.
“The system is designed to make them fail, and we’re designed to make sure they don’t.“
The nonprofit funded legal fees downpayments for five families seeking to appeal their denials of asylum. The final family's funds were secured through an “emergency appeal fundraiser,” by True Colors Appalachia, a nonprofit dedicated to community crowdfunding and following an article published Monday in The Floyd Times highlighting their need.
“Each one is intense. Each story is incredible,” she said.
Orlando is now working on raising funds to provide asylum seekers with ongoing mental health services, transportation and trauma informed therapy. Her current goals include sponsoring trips for children and adults to the North Carolina Zoo, to Washington, D.C., and purchasing 10-person tents and sleeping pads for two more camping trips this year. Contributions can be made directly on the group's donation page.
Children spend time with animals during an outing with Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers in June.
The work comes as the asylum process has become increasingly difficult. Many of the people Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers serve are terrified of being returned to countries they fled.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in late June, overturning lower-court blocks to allow the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections and work authorizations for Haitians and Syrians. It also implements higher costs and stricter rules for citizenship applications, visas and work-permit applications.
Then on July 27, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced an interim rule it said is designed to reduce the backlog in the asylum system, allowing the federal agency to send pending asylum applications to immigration judges without first interviewing the asylum applicant.
Though the rule is in effect, USCIS is accepting public comments by Sept. 28 through the online portal at Regulations.gov under DHS Docket No. IDUSCIS-2026-0199-0001.
Immigration attorney Mikhayla Rae Adkins said the new rule makes it easier to deport people and essentially ends asylum opportunities in the U.S.
“The asylum interview is important because it establishes a legal record,” Adkins said.
The new rule “signals the government's goal of forwarding as many asylum seekers to immigration courts with the goal of mass deportations."
Adkins focuses her free time on visiting rural immigrant communities to give know-your-rights presentations in an effort to address the gaps in organizing resources.
“I am very passionate about access to information and access to civil rights, especially in areas that traditionally don't get that access. So you know, in rural communities.”
Ahoo Salem, executive director of Blue Ridge Literacy, works daily with immigrants, including refugees fleeing trauma and trying to achieve long term safety and stability.
The local organization provides citizenship test preparation, English literacy classes and community integration support.
Salem says asylum cases shouldn't be taken lightly. Removing interviews from asylum seekers would deprive them of the chance to present their case in immigration court, leaving officers to decide without deeper understanding.
"It requires a lot of documentation. It's quite a traumatic experience for those who have to recall all of the reasons of why they would need to seek asylum, why they have a documented fear of persecution for their life if they go back to their home."
Salem says immigrants are facing uncertainty while trying to build bright future.
Ahoo Salem, executive director of Blue Ridge Literacy, visits with their learners during the LEAP Mobile Market in July 2022, at Westwood Village apartments.
“Immigration is a long-term journey, to be able to get a job, to move toward the credentials that you need to make your life better ... to contribute to the community that you are a part of. These don't happen overnight,” she said.
Salem said it is crucial to remember that many TPS recipients from Haiti and other nations hold other immigration statuses, such as a green card or visas, and the new legislation complicates hiring and retentions for employers, hurting both immigrants and the workforce at large.
"This is going to impact all of our communities," she said.
Other recent policy changes address the U.S. citizenship process, making it more challenging and expensive with a 75% to 80% price increase from the standard cost to apply for U.S. citizenship, which was previously $725. Fee waiver eligibility for lower-income households is now only available for household income less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, fees must be raised to fully fund immigration services, ensuring they are fast and fair, and upholding a strong national security and American values.
USCIS has also reinstated a tougher 2020 citizenship test, which expands the question pool and doubles the passing requirement from six to 12 correct answers, because the agency says it will more fully engage civic empowerment and further the success of the U.S. democracy.
However, a 2026 national study by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars shows that most Americans would fail the test. Only 36% of U.S. citizens passed without studying.
For Orlando, those policy changes underscore the need for long term support for newcomers that extends beyond the courtroom.
“I want to see what makes them fly and just help them fly, whatever it is. Each one is so unique.”
Heather Rousseau (540) 981-3394
The Kentucky Coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a large, deciduous tree native to North America.
The Kentucky Coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is a large, deciduous tree native to North America.
Floyd
Tri-Area Community Health marks heath center week
Tri-Area Community Health joins the National Association of Community Health Centers and over 1,500 Community Health Centers (CHCs) across the country to celebrate National Health Center Week. This week recognizes the vital role health centers play in providing affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care to more than 52 million Americans, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. This year, we celebrate how health centers use innovation to reach more patients and improve outcomes.
For 44 years, Tri-Area Community Health has provided primary care services to Southwest Virginia. In addition to medical care, Tri-Area offered behavioral health care, pharmacy services, and other services (such as transportation and case management). The organization’s mission is to improve the quality of life for patients and communities by providing affordable, high-quality, comprehensive care and services. They strive to address the needs of individuals of all ages and backgrounds with compassion, respect, and professionalism. “We are proud to celebrate National Health Center Week by honoring the spirit of our rural communities and the dedication of our care teams who ensure comprehensive, high-quality healthcare is within reach,” said Tri-Area's CEO, James Werth, Jr.
Health centers don’t just expand access. They improve outcomes and save money. For just 1% of national health care spending, CHCs deliver primary care to 14% of the U.S. population and save the health care system billions of dollars each year by preventing costly hospital visits. Tri-Area is proud to be part of this critical mission.
In addition to 6 community clinics and 3 pharmacies, Tri-Area Community Health also has school-based health centers in Carroll and Grayson counties and the City of Galax. Additional school-based clinics will be opening in August in Floyd and Patrick counties.
Chip Phillips, Chair of Tri-Area's Board of Directors, said that "As both a Board member and a patient, Tri-Area has shown me what a difference a community health center can make, not just for my neighbors, but for my own family. Because at least half of our Board members are also patients here, we don't just oversee care, we live it. Tri-Area brings medical, behavioral health, and pharmacy services directly to our rural communities, making accessible care a reality for people I work alongside and see every single day."
In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Ferrum clinic, Tri-Area will be hosting a Community Fun Day at that location on Friday, August 7 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. There will be hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn, yard games, and more.
Floyd
Upcoming programs at Jessie Peterman Memorial Library
August 6- Scrabble at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Thursday, August 6th at 1:30 pm. Enjoy a challenging and fun game of Scrabble with other word enthusiasts.
August 8- Talkin’ the Blues at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Saturday, August 8th at 1 pm. Discover the beauty and charm of the Eastern Bluebird—one of our region’s most beloved birds. Learn about their lifecycle and how to attract them to your yard. Join Carol Kauffman, Virginia Master Naturalist and Connie Marshall, fellow bluebird enthusiast for this engaging and educational program.
August 11- Creative Collaboration at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on August 11th at 2:30. A support group for creatives: share your work, questions, and advice! Activities and goals are decided as a group.
August 12- Bingo at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Wednesday, August 12th at 2 pm. Fun and Prizes.
August 13- Scrabble at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Thursday, August 13th at 1:30 pm. Enjoy a challenging and fun game of Scrabble with other word enthusiasts.
August 13- Talking About Books at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Thursday, August 13th at 2 pm. This month's book is With Good Reasons: My Heartfelt Journey: From Co-dependency to a Self-Nurturing Life by Marcia Winters. In this creative memoir, Marcia Haines Winters reflects not only on her marriage that crumbled as time went by, but also discusses the various avenues of self-healing she discovered on the journey to learn to love herself once again.
August 14- Pokémon at the Jessie Peterman Memorial Library on Friday August 14th at 3:30 pm. Calling all Pokémon fans! Meet up with other fans the 2nd Friday of the month to trade, learn to battle, earn prizes, and discuss all things Pokémon. All ages are welcome.
