World Relief Expands and Rebrands Wisconsin Locations in Response to Growing Displacement Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: wr@pinkston.co
Appleton, WI (October 20, 2023) — World Relief announces a rebrand for its office locations in Appleton and Oshkosh to World Relief Wisconsin. With an expansion to Chippewa Valley this month, the faith-based refugee resettlement and immigrant services agency updated its name to better reflect its regional impact. The first event in Chippewa Valley will occur October 23 at L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire from 6-7 p.m. This informational meeting will be for community members to learn how they can join with World Relief Wisconsin to provide welcome and support for new refugee neighbors. Learn more at worldrelief.org/wisconsin/.
“We have been diligently working towards this expansion milestone,” said Aerlande Wontamo, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs at World Relief. “This development in Chippewa Valley opens up exciting possibilities for serving the community and making a lasting difference in the region.”
World Relief has worked in Wisconsin since 2012 in response to the needs of refugees fleeing wars in Southeast Asia. With existing offices in the Fox Valley (Oshkosh and Appleton), World Relief Wisconsin is part of a national network of offices through which over 400,000 refugees and other immigrants have been welcomed into the community through church centered, holistic and sustainable solutions.
“When we look back at our work over the past eleven years in the Fox Valley, we feel so privileged,” said World Relief Wisconsin Director Tami McLaughlin. “And when the Eau Claire City Manager’s Office contacted us to discuss how they could make Eau Claire a more appealing city for refugees, we were eager to explore how we could fill this need. This is a significant time in our office life, in our community life and in our nation.”
World Relief announced Dr. Ka Vang as the new Chippewa Valley site manager. A 25-year resident of Eau Claire, Vang has over 20 years of experience working in higher education where she advocated for and supported students who are low-income, first generation and/or underrepresented. “My whole family and I came to the US in 1979 as refugees after the Secret War ended in Laos,” said Vang. “My refugee experience greatly shaped my whole life, and I feel called to contribute to Eau Claire’s continuing ability to welcome new generations of residents who will make Eau Claire their home, enriching this community with their talents, perspectives, and friendship.”
To learn more about World Relief Wisconsin, its events, new branding efforts and logo, please visit
worldrelief.org/wisconsin.
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About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for over 75 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to develop sustainable, locally-driven solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems. To learn more, visit worldrelief.org
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