From Welcomed to Welcomer
At the end of April, World Relief will celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week, a time to recognize the impact and power of volunteers to “tackle society’s greatest challenges, build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world.” Last year, World Relief engaged 8,430 volunteers and 873 church partners in the U.S. to welcome…
Read More14 Years of Volunteering
When Karen first heard of Word Relief in 2008, she thought to herself, “What is that?” Once she realized there was a need for donations, she gathered some towels and home goods left over from her move and brought them to the agency. Karen drove a Volkswagen van. The man who met her at the…
Read MorePartner Spotlight: Greg & Olivia Evans on “Who is my neighbor?”
When their children were school-age and began attending the neighborhood school right around the corner, Greg and Olivia Evans quickly realized something. The students their children were sitting next to in class did not look like them. From a distance, they watched school counselors and teachers meeting the needs of recently resettled refugees. They saw…
Read MoreStarting Small
It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here’s to our dedicated volunteers and all the work they do to make a difference in our community. A new role When Leah Lesh learned about the many refugee families living in the Quad Cities through an event at her local church, she realized she needed to help these families any…
Read MoreWorld Relief Applauds Announcement by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) To End Title 42, Calls For Functional and Orderly Asylum System Process
April 4, 2022 CONTACT:Audrey Gardenaudrey.garden@pinkston.co571-405-1606 BALTIMORE – On Friday, the CDC announced that on May 23, it will end Title 42, a policy implemented in March 2020 that allows officials to turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border even if they are seeking asylum. World Relief applauds the ending of Title 42 as it will…
Read MoreMaking Connections
It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here’s to our dedicated volunteers and all the work they do to make a difference in our community. A new purpose When Trisha Poole heard about the refugees from Afghanistan at the end of last year, she knew she had to help any way she could. “My heart just yearned…
Read MoreRefugee Family Dentistry
It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here’s to our dedicated volunteers and all the work they do to make a difference in our community. An urgent need Craig Peterson knew he had to do something when he and his family learned about the staggering amount of refugee families in the Quad Cities. “My wife was the one…
Read MorePhoto Essay: The Afghan Seamstress Sewing Beautiful Garments in Her New Community
Meet Samira On a cold day in the middle of Illinois winter, the home of Samira* and her family has vibrant colors. Though the family only arrived in the U.S. a few months before, they have been busy. And much of what Samira has done is create. This photo essay showcases the beautiful garments that…
Read MoreWho’s Really Welcome? Our Compassion for Ukrainians Shouldn’t be Exclusive to Just Them
Global Support for Ukraine Last week, the White House announced a plan to admit up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the United States. This was a welcomed announcement given the increasing numbers of Ukrainians arriving to Poland, Romania and other European nations. This policy has been one of many successive policy decisions by President Biden…
Read MoreThe Compounding Effects of COVID-19 on Women and Girls
“The impacts of crises are never gender-neutral, and COVID-19 is no exception.” – UN Women A Pre-Pandemic Issue While the pandemic has touched nearly every corner of the globe, the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on women and children cannot be overstated. Before the pandemic, women already earned less, had access to fewer social protections and…
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