It usually starts with a message. This time, it was a request to call a community member before Christmas. When I get a message about fabric donations my heart races a bit and I try not to hold my breath. What will be in the bags and boxes? Treasured lengths or tiny scraps? This message
“….I have the same feeling of helplessness that I’m sure so many in our Columbia community have: What can I do to help our neighbors?” This email from a concerned citizen sits in my inbox, awaiting a response. I toss around a million possible drafts in my head, unsure that there’s really one answer to
Welcome, 2026! We’re jumping into the new year with mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation – knowing that change and transition are on the horizon while we simultaneously work to sustain the growth we’ve experienced over the last several years. Even as I type this, a new group of English students is gathered together –
As we round out the year, we often fill our time with many things like holiday lights and reflection. For me at City of Refuge, that has looked like taking our school aged students to see the spectacular light display at Veterans United as well as having meaningful conversations with them as they look back
Purpose has always been a big theme in my life. I grew up in a religious community and later became fascinated with what scientists had to say about why we’re here. In 2022, scientists won the Nobel Prize for showing that tiny particles can remain connected across vast distances – even across time. It suggests
The St. Louis Zoo on a sunny Sunday is a symphony of joyful chaos – children’s laughter mingling with animal calls, families strolling, ice cream melting. It’s an American scene, and amidst it all, a particular family with five children in tow recently embarked on an adventure that filled my heart with immense pride. I’ve
Every day at City of Refuge, gratitude shows up in powerful ways – relieved smiles, heartfelt thanks and even shared meals. This week, Barry Stoll shares some of the ways he witnesses thanks and giving in the lives of our refugee neighbors. It wasn’t just the words “thank you” that made me realize how grateful
November 21 is a holiday for my family. It is the day Mugisha arrived in the United States. I wrote about how this came to be and his early days in this country here and here. It was amazing to hear from all of the people who read those newsletters. I expected the people I
Have you ever felt out of control? At a loss for how things got to where they are now… with no real clear path toward a fix, try as you may? It happens on a personal, individual level. It happens on a community-wide level. It happens on a national level, and also a global one
Beneath the Boutique Many City Boutique customers don’t realize that right below our bustling resale shop is one of the most meaningful parts of our nonprofit. Our first classes were volunteer-led, meeting weekly in our old building on Sexton. After I joined the team, I noticed Afghan men coming in, asking for sewing machines for
