Good Neighbor Gala

Friday, September 12, 2025

Date: Friday, September 12, 2025
Location: Hope Lutheran Church

Address: 1301 Vintage Ln, Rochester, NY 14626
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM — come early to walk through our powerful refugee simulation!)

Join us for food, entertainment, special guests, and raising funds for World Relief Western New York!

This special evening is our biggest gathering of the year — a time to celebrate stories of resilience, rally community support, and raise vital funds to help refugees and immigrants thrive.

What to Expect:

Powerful stories of transformation, including an interactive refugee simulation
A delicious refugee-made meal shared in community
A moving keynote address by Matt Soerens
A raffle with unique local experiences and treasures
Handcrafted centerpieces made with love by Ukrainian program participants, showcasing the creativity and resilience of our newest neighbors

This year, we aim to raise $100,000 to relaunch our English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and launch our Workforce Development Program—opening doors to meaningful employment and long-term financial stability for newcomers in our region.

Registration Link coming soon!

Keynote Speaker: Matthew Soerens

Matthew Soerens is the Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief, where he provides oversight for all advocacy initiatives and policy positions of World Relief. He also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that advocates for immigration reforms consistent with biblical values.

Matthew previously served as US Director of Church Mobilization, where he helped evangelical churches understand the realities of refugees and immigration and to respond in ways guided by biblical values. His World Relief journey began as a Department of Justice-accredited legal counselor at World Relief’s local office in Wheaton, Illinois and, before that, with World Relief’s partner organization in Managua, Nicaragua. He’s also the co-author of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis (Moody Publishers, 2016).