I had never ascribed the word “refugee” to my grandparents until I started working at City of Refuge, but their family fled Yugoslavia during WWII. Their home had been commandeered by the authorities, and they lived as displaced people in refugee camps for years after the war ended. Honestly, I wish I had paid better
You probably already marked your calendar but in case you didn’t, just a reminder: tomorrow is Giving Tuesday! We have two big goals for tomorrow: 1. To raise $25,000 to support our programs and begin new ones in 2023 (like our artisan maker space and preschool). Support City of Refuge with a donation here (beginning tomorrow) or support us in another
Garage Sale to Boutique I run into people all the time who tell me, “I used to sort donations for City of Refuge in Jen Wheeler’s garage!” I love when I hear this. It’s a reminder of the rich and remarkable history of City of Refuge. It’s a reminder that so many of you have
People all over the city ask us this question. It reveals a heartbeat of compassion, empathy, and generosity.
So much has happened since our last campaign in 2021! We have been working hard using your donations to meet essential refugee needs in our community. With your help, we can improve many more families’ lives in critical ways, particularly with English tutoring, youth mentoring, driving assistance, a preschool, and sharing a beautiful array of
“If you were in our country, everything would be different for you.” A gentleman in our office pointed this out to us, asking us to consider what it might be like if we were in their shoes. Even beyond language, everything is different. We, in another country, would be forced to measure things in centimeters, weigh things in grams, understand that freezing
Hours are spent listening, building relationships, scrambling to find jobs, or housing, or medical assistance to meet the unique needs of our refugee friends.
It’s a pretty wild season right now at City of Refuge. Lots of change, transition, growth. Sure, our building capacity tripled… but perhaps the needs did, as well. Or perhaps our favorite Field of Dreams quote really does hold true, “If you build it, they will come…” On any given day, we’re working hard to meet any
You have made something unexpected happen, and we are so grateful. These year-end gifts are so critical to our planning for 2023 as we anticipate needs and respond to varying crises.
We have been blown away by our CoMoGives campaign this year. Literally tears in our eyes because of your generosity. We will start 2023 strong, thanks to you. But we will continue to need your support as we design our programs and services to meet the needs we see each day. A few weeks ago, I sat
