Posts by eparrigin

Lauren Peterson never expected to bring in two Afghan refugee families into her East Moline home, but she was more than ready to heed the call when the moment arose. “I was listening to NPR and heard about the evacuations occurring, and I soon started looking up places where I could take up these families.…

For anyone transitioning to life in America, it can be quite the culture shock compared to living in your previous country of residence. But for No Niang, relocating to the United States from Myanmar was something that didn’t strike her as shocking compared to her parents or siblings. “Refugees are very cultural,” Niang explains, “They…

Out in the Community De’Andre’s passion is making a difference. As the Street Outreach Coordinator for Christian Care Men’s Shelter covering Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties, his personality and understanding of people led him to the community. Most of his time is spent contacting homeless individuals in need of resources. He helps secure housing…

Refugees often rely on produce that is exclusive to their heritage and difficult to find in conventional U.S. grocery stores. Each month, we distribute Burmese and Congolese foods that are familiar and healthy – now, we’re officially adding Afghan foods to the mix. Here’s how one volunteer is making an impact. Life After Graduation A…

A new Quad Cities scholarship fund hopes to mitigate some of the economic challenges faced by new Americans seeking higher education. The fund, to be titled “Quad Cities Scholarship for Immigrants and Refugees,” will be managed by the Community Foundation in partnership with World Relief Quad Cities. It was inspired by Julie Eisenband and Chris…

Hello everyone! My name is Brady Johnson and I am very excited to be interning at World Relief Quad Cities. I’m currently a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications as well as a minor in communications, and I am originally from Loves Park, Illinois. I was drawn to intern here at…

As I sat on the couch with Lisa*, she recalled a dream she had when she was a young girl. At first, all she could see was darkness but as she flew, lights began to appear beneath her — mesmerizing her. There was so much happening in the city below as cars and people went…

Pascal Ramadhani identifies as Congolese, but he was born in a small village in Tanzania called Kigoma. With its vast mountains and miles of blue water, an image search of the scenery paints a striking contrast against the refugee camp he spent the first ten years of his life in. He grew up under the…