During National Volunteer Appreciation Week, World Relief Texas celebrates the volunteers who make this work possible right here in Texas. Volunteers extend the reach of our staff, strengthen local churches and walk alongside refugee and immigrant families as they rebuild their lives.
Our volunteers play a vital role in strengthening communities of belonging. Todun Afolabi, World Relief’s volunteer engagement program manager said that, “Volunteers walk alongside families to provide mentorship, assist with employment navigation, tutor adults and children, offer transportation and extend hospitality. Each interaction contributes to restoring hope and reducing isolation and creating thriving environments. By celebrating volunteer contributions, World Relief affirms that volunteerism is integral to building communities and long-term sustainability.”
Here in Texas, 340 volunteers contributed their time and gifts to help build a welcoming community for our newest neighbors.
Volunteers are pivotal in our community. Our Church and Community Engagement Manager, Abby Webb shared, “Volunteers are pivotal for the flourishing of the refugee and immigrant community! Volunteers bring more relational capacity and connections that contribute to program participants accessing resources and feeling a sense of belonging that World Relief staff cannot offer alone. In the past year, we have seen volunteers stepping up to care for program participants in ways they haven’t before due to benefits and funding being stripped. [Volunteers] have absolutely been a lifeline for refugees that are navigating integration in addition to the tumultuous and ever-changing political landscape. Thank you volunteers for leaning in harder in an unknown and trying season for many of our immigrant neighbors.”
When Community Makes A Great Impact
Volunteering with World Relief is not just about serving others — it’s about relationships that transform both the families we walk alongside and the volunteers who welcome them.
Pooja, who began volunteering with World Relief Texas in Dallas says her experience “has shaped [her] more than [she] initially realized.” As she reflects on her time volunteering with us she shares two things that stand out most. “First, the families I’ve worked with are a true joy to be around. They are engaged, curious, and authentically themselves. This makes every interaction meaningful. Second, the staff at World Relief have been incredibly supportive throughout my journey. Their encouragement has helped me grow into my roles with confidence and has made me feel genuinely welcomed and valued.”
For many volunteers, this transformation unfolds through simple, everyday moments of friendship and support.
Davin Sanders serves weekly at our World Relief Clubhouse in Fort Worth as an English Class Teacher. Davin recalls a day when she was serving at the Clubhouse and an older English Class participant shared that he was not feeling well and needed to go to the hospital. Because Davin spoke his native language, she quickly agreed to accompany him to the hospital (not knowing it would be a full day of translating, advocating, and listening to his story).
This day “shifted something in [her]” as she sat with this refugee and learned about his home, the things he had lost along his journey, and the hope he still carries. “After all the tests were done, he turned to me and said softly, ‘Asante, mama.’ Thank you. But it felt like more than gratitude for help with translation or transportation. It was gratitude for presence – for being seen, known, and not alone. It reminded me how vulnerable and lonely the refugee journey can be, and how deeply people need compassion, curiosity and connection.”
We are incredibly thankful for our volunteers like Pooja and Davin for loving and serving so selflessly.
In honor of National Volunteer Week, World Relief Texas will be hosting appreciation events to celebrate and thank the volunteers who make this work possible. If you volunteer with us, please RSVP below. We look forward to celebrating you!
Communities of belonging are built by people like you.
If you’re interested in volunteering with World Relief Texas, we invite you to learn more and take the next step here: https://worldrelief.org/texas/get-involved/volunteer-application/.