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
You never really know. You can plan, you can dream, you can strategize, communicate, and pray… but you never really know how anything will turn out. The sun rises, the sun sets… and everything that happens in-between holds some element of mystery. A day at City of Refuge is no different. We plan, we prepare,
Each day, our team has the pleasure of getting to walk alongside and build lasting relationships with those that we exist to serve. Lori Stoll, who began this work many years ago, has seen friends through various life stages, joys, and challenges. She recounts her experience with one friend recently: I was waiting in the
Some of us are great storytellers, some of us are not. But “Share” can have a few different meanings to it. When I tell you a story, I have shared it with you. But, “Share” can also mean you’ve joined me in the story I’m living… we’re not just talking about a life lived, but
I started at City of Refuge in August 2021. Just days later, Kabul fell to the Taliban. The phone rang nonstop. Emails poured in. Everyone wanted to know: Will refugees come to Missouri? What will City of Refuge do? How can we help? At that moment, we didn’t have all the answers. We weren’t sure
The role of a care coordinator cannot be quickly defined, though the heart is simple. It is a heart of friendship filled with care, service, love, and compassion for the refugees who are learning how to start and yet still continue their lives while being in America. The practicalities are endless. Though I am sure
“It was the happiest day of my life.” I had asked a young gentleman how he felt when he got the call from UNHCR that his application had been approved. Now he could join the rest of his family in America after living his entire life in a refugee camp. They had fled their home
Being a volunteer coordinator is equal parts people management, strategic planning, and heart. It’s a role that blends logistics with empathy, and no two days look exactly alike. Still, there’s a rhythm and a dance between supporting volunteers and organizing efforts while making sure the mission stays front and center. Every day involves checking emails,
We started 2025 with the lofty goal of starting nothing new. “Deep, not wide,” I told the staff. We had, after all, started many new ventures over the last few years… the new building had afforded us the opportunity to launch City Boutique, City Preschool, and finally City Cuisine. In addition to them, we had
Solidarity. Dictionary.com tells us it’s a “union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples, etc…” Today is World Refugee Day: an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. And this year, the focus is “Solidarity with Refugees”. UNHCR
