(Almost) Two Years Later

Remember when we got a driving simulator and were able to more proactively start teaching people how to drive? 6 folks have now gotten their driver’s licenses and are more on their way towards independence. 

Remember when we opened up City Boutique and how that provided space for refugee women to gather, create, and sell? We now have 9 women who are actively selling their products on our Global Artisan wall, 6 who are selling at The Shops at Sharp End, and 7 young women who are making soaps and candles – all for sale at City Boutique.

Remember when we turned a little old bank office into a computer lab and quickly outgrew it and had to move it upstairs (probably not, because that one JUST happened!). We now have over 20 people using it on a regular basis for English Language Learning and Digital Literacy.

Remember when we launched a cross-cultural preschool to help prepare littles for kindergarten and increase their English capacity? We now have 18 three to five year olds from Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Malawi, and the USA attending.

Remember when we told you that City Cuisine would be COMING SOON? It is – real soon. Like, we’re taste-testing food, hiring employees, and practicing with our POS system (and those of you who are playing in our Golf Tournament will get some of the first bites – it’s not too late to sign up for our 1:30pm tee-time!) 

Remember how we needed more volunteers to meet the growing needs of the refugee communities? We now have close to 200 weekly volunteers & interns who help us execute our mission every single day (and we could actually use some more hands in the Boutique, if you’re bored – we get close to 20 cars a day dropping donations off!). 

Remember when we used manila folders to catalog and file every case? We changed over to an online database just two years ago and now have almost 2100 people in our system. People from 37 different countries who are receiving active case management, access to basic needs supplies, and many who are participating in our programs.

Remember when we set out to launch a high school youth program in 2022? We now have close to 100 attending either our Youth Impact Group or Homework Helpers programs and 370 kiddos received school supplies at the start of this school year. 

Remember that time, almost 2 years ago, when we moved into a building triple the size of our old space on Sexton Rd. to (hopefully) do all the above things (and more!)? It’s worth celebrating how far we have come. Not because of any one individual, but because the collective we worked together to make it happen. We are working together to keep making it happen. It’s going to continue to take effort, it’s going to continue to take the thousands and thousands of volunteers, donors, and community partners.

I’m truly in awe of what happens when people come together to make a difference. When people give. When people show up. When relationships and sacrifice defeat isolation and the desire to serve only ourselves. 

We live in a cool city. A city that welcomes the foreigner. A city that loves through our differences. A city that stands united in the way that we stand up for, care for, and invest in the lives of others. 

I’m proud of us.

Sincerely,
Debbie Beal
Executive Director

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