August 1, 2024
Abby Hake, our Executive Assistant, joined the team in January of this year. Her first introduction to City of Refuge was at our annual Back to School Bash. Check out what she has to say about the experience.
With Back to School Bash quickly approaching I can’t help but feel sentimental about the event, where a year ago I participated as a volunteer and had my first exposure to City of Refuge – now my full time job. As an enthusiast of school and school supplies, it was a no brainer when I saw a call for volunteers for the Back to School Bash. Even though I had grown up in Columbia, and am now living here as an adult, I had never heard about City of Refuge. I was curious to learn more, had a general idea of what to expect when volunteering, and was excited to fill a need.
I assisted upstairs helping kids “shop” for clothing for a first day of school outfit. Each child was able to pick out a shirt, pants, underwear and socks to take home with them. It was really sweet to interact with the kids who were shy and unsure of what they were wanting, but would eagerly nod their head or share a huge grin when I pulled a shirt with their favorite character off of the clothing rack.
There was a group of boys, around ages 8, 7 and 4, who had come together and were waiting for the older siblings to finish up with the hearing screening that was being offered. I was impressed by how patiently and quietly they were waiting. I struck up conversation and they were polite with responding, but the more we kept talking the more they opened up and came alive with energy and innocence reserved for childhood. They could not share fast enough and were in great supply of things to tell me. Eventually one of the boys pulled a book out that he had received downstairs and they piled on my lap and around my chair to hear the story.
I remember looking around the room throughout my time volunteering and feeling a lump rise in my throat, imagining the horrors and hardships the people around me had experienced on their journey here – how unfair it all is and feeling silly for my own discomforts. To this day I feel overwhelmed by the realities that refugees face. They are an extremely vulnerable population of people that need a lot of help. “Help” can look a lot of different ways, but what all help has in common is someone caring enough to help- and that is a gift we can all afford to give. 🎁
Abigail Hake
Executive Assistant
City of Refuge
As stated in the newsletter, Back to School Bash is quickly approaching on Monday August 12! We are expecting 300+ kids who will each have the opportunity to pick out an outfit for the first day of school and school supplies. Please consider supporting our event by donating items from our Amazon Wishlist, especially the backpacks, pencil boxes and water bottles, or volunteering day of at the event!
Who doesn’t love a good birthday party? Last week, a father with a refugee background gave us a call. His daughter’s birthday was coming and she wanted to celebrate with her friends; her classmates from all over the world. Thankfully, she’ll also get to see her new friends starting September 3 when we open our doors to six returning students and several new ones. We have just four spaces remaining and plenty of smiles, fun and educational enrichment to go around. Won’t you join us?
We offer 5 mornings, 3 mornings, or 2 mornings a week. Contact Candace to set up a time to visit!
