July 03, 2026
“You Gotta Check Out City of Refuge”
“You gotta check out the movie Interstellar, the band Elbow, the local restaurant Pasta La Fata, and read the book Annihilation!” Do you do this too? Share something you believe others have just GOTTA check out? What’s more exciting than when somebody comes back later and says, “I checked it out, and I LOVED it!”
Whether I’m leading tours of City of Refuge or giving presentations in the community, I love seeing the variety of reactions. Jaws dropping. Faces lighting up with joy. A sense of hope you can almost feel in the room. A driving simulator room with walls covered in dozens of smiling faces proudly holding their newly earned driver’s licenses. A food truck serving a fusion of local flavors and dishes inspired by the countries we serve. A thrift store that supports our mission, helps meet the needs of local refugee families, and is doubling in size this fall.
And that’s just a small sample of the stories I LOVE sharing.
Loving Something Means Supporting It
But love doesn’t stop at celebrating or consuming something good. There’s a form of giving mixed in when we support the things we love. Think about it: how many things do we delight in that don’t come with a cost?
We pay the author for their book, the band with each stream or track we purchase, the bill at the restaurant we love, and the team who made our favorite movie. Even the national parks my family visited last month rely on millions of people paying fees, volunteers giving time, and advocates fighting to protect these places we love.
The things we value continue because people choose to support them.
A New Chapter for City of Refuge
As City of Refuge approaches October 1, 2026 – when 40% of our grant funding expires – we’re working to give our supporters a way to tell others: “You gotta check out _______ at City of Refuge!”
We’re convinced that once people see what we do, they’ll want to become part of the neighborhood we’re building. That’s where our Neighbor Program comes in.
As friends from nations all over the world become our neighbors, we’re looking for supporters willing to make monthly commitments – or annual pledges over multiple years – to help ensure we can continue changing lives in ways that make people’s jaws drop.
Nations to Neighbors
This October, we’ll be hosting a new event called Nations to Neighbors, and we want your help showing off – maybe even bragging a little about – the work you’re a part of here at City of Refuge. Guests will enjoy food, learn about the different ways our programs impact lives, hear stories of transformation, and discover how they can become a Neighbor. Most importantly, they’ll get the chance to see for themselves what makes this place so special.
We want to keep being able to say, “You gotta check out City of Refuge!” We invite you to attend the event and bring as many people as you possibly can. Help us introduce others to the work, the people, and the hope that makes this place worth loving. Together, we can continue loving our neighbors well into the future.
Save the Date for Nations to Neighbors on Thursday, October 15, and help build our neighborhood.
Garrett Rucinski
Director of Engagement
