Partner 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 these students learning a new language and navigating a huge life change.
Connecting with World Relief Chicagoland
As they saw this, Olivia (and Greg) began wondering: “How can we be a part of this? Is there a way for us to give kids equal footing in the same way we want to provide for our own kids? Is there a way for us to help make a difference? And that’s where we met World Relief.”
From this point forward, the Evans’ partnership with World Relief has only expanded. They’ve brought multiple neighbors onto the journey with them. They had friends saying – “I can drive a car.” or “I can be of service.” In fact, their neighbor around the corner is still involved. He will say, “I’m doing an airport run tonight.”
For the Evans, it all comes back to the concept of loving your neighbor. Loving your neighbor can be grand or simple, and there is room for all of that in World Relief’s work. It’s just a matter of asking yourself, what will I do?
Answering “Who is my neighbor?”
One of the ways Greg and Olivia are responding is through financial partnership. Each year, they take time to talk with their kids. They talk about where they can have a tangible financial impact and what feels important to them. For the last several years, World Relief has been at the forefront of what is important.
Ultimately, for Greg (and Olivia) it comes back to the question: “Who is my neighbor? Everyone is my neighbor. How do I show love? In any way I can.”
Welcoming New Neighbors
World Relief Chicagoland relies on the generosity of partners, like Greg and Olivia, to welcome and walk alongside immigrants and refugees as they rebuild their lives. For over 40 years because of the generosity of others, World Relief has welcomed thousands of new neighbors helping them reach stability and responding in love.
Will you give to build welcoming and just communities for immigrants and refugees to thrive?