Gratitude

On Saturday, June 22 I was twirling cotton candy cones and covered with a layer of sugar and sweat. It was as perfect of a hot summer day as you can get, hundreds and hundreds of folks from all over mid-Missouri coming by to see just what this Summer Market was all about. One of

We just wrapped up our first spring at City Preschool! Read below about how our first semester went from director Candace Hulsizer. When you think about what goes on in a preschool, what comes to mind? Kids sitting at colorful tables, their fingers dipped in paint? Squeals of excitement and wide-eyed curiosity? Children sitting on

We tried something new last December – maybe you remember it. We hosted our first ever Holiday Market, featuring a variety of refugee and local artisan vendors. Our parking lot was lined with makers’ tents, the air was brisk, and there were thousands of individuals filled with holiday cheer. The live music, the coffee, the

I love food. I bet you do, too. I’m learning to love trying new food, too (although historically that hasn’t always been the case). But, perhaps ashamedly, I must admit that there have been times, over the years, while traveling overseas and experiencing other cuisines that, after a while, I just really craved an American cheeseburger. Or hot dog. Or pizza.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the vast array of broken things in this world. Even outside my own experiences, my eyes witness conflict, greed, loss- all close-up encounters via a glowing screen held in my hand. And then I scroll on, the overwhelm quickly lost to a baby announcement, or some van-lifer’s vlog. Phones give

Sometimes it’s helpful to look back and remember what was, so you can appreciate how far you’ve come. Sometimes it’s helpful to do that as an organization. Check out what Operations Director, Kellye Dubinski, has to say about City of Refuge’s journey.  I began my journey with City of Refuge back in October of 2015.

My pad of paper was blank. Pen in hand, ready to write… but no words to put down. I was listening to problems I had no solutions for. Listening to challenges I could not fix. I sat there, eager to jot down a million notes and ways that we could step into the mix and

I was in my happy place as I stopped to look around the Artisan Center one Thursday night. The room was full of teenagers from Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Myanmar; MU students and CPS teachers who came to mentor and provide homework assistance at Youth Impact Night also crowded downstairs. Many of our City of Refuge teens

Here’s a day in the life of our Director of Refugee Care. These are real stories in a real day… and why were are so thankful for the countless individuals who support what we do every single day.  An hour or so into the day… I helped a refugee lady emotionally process her recent car accident.