Posts by Nathan White
Answering Your Questions About Asylum Seekers
Last week, buses sent from Texas began arriving in Chicago carrying asylum seekers from the U.S. southern border. Since then, local government officials and organizations have been working quickly to ensure that the new arrivals have access to food, housing, and the other essentials every human needs to survive—while also creating longer-term solutions. With the…
Read MoreWorld Relief Chicagoland Welcomes Texas Bus Arrivals, Prepares for Community-Wide Response
CHICAGO, September 1, 2022 On Wednesday night, the first buses commissioned by the State of Texas carrying asylum seekers and other migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border arrived in Chicago. At World Relief Chicagoland, we serve asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants by extending welcome, providing vital services and connecting people together. We do this in…
Read MoreYour Family is Coming: A Refugee Family’s Long Road to Reunion
Every day, people leave their homes due to persecution, violence, conflict, and climate-related factors. Their journeys to safety are often marked by loss, separation, and worry for those left behind. For ten years, Ibrahim was separated from his family. This is their story of enduring hope. It’s a beautiful example of one refugee family reunited…
Read MoreBuilding a Community of Safety and Belonging
A reflection from World Relief Chicagoland Executive Director Susan Sperry. June is World Refugee Awareness Month. And on June 20th, we celebrate World Refugee Day. This year, the theme of World Refugee Day is focused on the human right to seek safety. Whoever they are, people forced to flee should be treated with dignity. Anyone can…
Read More20 Ways to Learn More About Refugees
Over the past year, crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine have reminded us of the devastating impacts of war — especially on those forced to flee their homes. Around the world, a record-breaking 100 million people have been forcibly displaced. Of those, 26.6 million are considered refugees, having fled across an international border due to war,…
Read More5 Ways You Can Lead in Your Community
Creating communities of love and welcome requires all of us. We believe that we each have a part to play and as Susan Sperry reflects in last week’s blog, we all can lead from where we are. For many of us, leading from where we are can feel intimidating and sometimes, we get stuck. If…
Read MoreA Model for Corporate Partnership: GForce Life Sciences
At World Relief Chicagoland, we love working with partners in a holistic way especially when we share the core value of serving people in vulnerable situations. A holistic partnership is about more than writing a check (though it is one way to make an impact). It involves mobilizing people in your company to engage in…
Read MoreCelebrating International Mother Language Day
Perhaps like me, you were surprised and intrigued to learn that International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is a global celebration. First proclaimed in 1999 by UNESCO, the goal of the day is “to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.” This year, the theme of IMLD is about the use of technology in language education. From…
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