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At World Relief Wisconsin, building a welcoming village begins with a shared bond that connects neighbors and fosters a sense of belonging. Our village is more than just a place. It’s a community shaped by stories of faith, compassion and resilience.
Refugees and immigrants from around the world have found the safety, friendship and support they need to begin anew in Wisconsin. We walk alongside newcomers on their journey and encourage others in our village to do the same.
Together, we have shown that hospitality is an act of faith, community is built through shared service and transformation happens when love thy neighbor transcends borders.
Joined Together
Everyone moving into a new community—whether relocating for a job or from another country due to displacement—needs a variety of resources and nurturing connections to thrive.
“Our role at World Relief Wisconsin is to be a conduit for connecting new neighbors to wrap-around services and support,” said Wisconsin Regional Director Gail Cornelius. “We can’t do our work alone.”
World Relief identifies nine factors that contribute to stability in a place of welcome: community connections, employment, finances, health and mental health, language, housing, legal status, quality education and transportation.
Since beginning work in Wisconsin in 2012, we have relied on many crucial collaborations, including those with local employers, churches, health departments and medical clinics, law enforcement agencies, school districts, English language educators as well as YMCAs and other recreational programs
Mission-Critical Churches
We shine a light, in particular, on the response from the faith communities in Eau Claire during our first year of service in the Chippewa Valley. Volunteers from local churches formed 13 Good Neighbor Teams (GNTs) that walked alongside nearly all of the 75 refugees who arrived in 2024.
“It is very unusual for so many families to be welcomed into the community by this extraordinary level of support from GNTs,” Cornelius said.
The teams assisted with a wide range of activities—preparing apartments, introducing the families to public transportation, practicing conversational English and helping refugees connect to resources.
“The GNTs really help to create a community of friendship and belonging for the newcomers,” said Jodi Jewell, Chippewa Valley’s church and community engagement specialist.
“Volunteering as part of a Good Neighbor Team broadens your view of the world, grows your capacity for compassion and stretches you as you learn about another culture and develop new joy-filled friendships.”
New, Noteworthy Partners
Throughout 2024, our staff continued to deepen established relationships and entered new ones with a number of organizations, such as local universities, the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh and Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle.
Susie Brekke, associate director of integration and wellness, worked with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh to develop social work internships that offer students opportunities to engage with newcomers in the Fox Valley. Likewise, the interns offer our team deeper awareness of social work principles and competencies.
“We’re able to better serve our clients holistically with a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens, ensuring that we’re doing no harm and providing excellent services in our programs. Our team’s knowledge is continuing to expand and grow,” she said.
In line with World Relief’s expanding mission worldwide, Cornelius said work in Wisconsin also includes growing opportunities to advocate for and address structural challenges impacting refugees. For example, we are working with the Winnebago County health department towards solutions to reduce lead exposure for refugees living in low-income housing.
Besides meeting with those refugees who have experienced higher lead levels to share information and encourage continued medical care, WRW’s health services manager advocates with state agencies for more resources to support alleviating the high lead levels in the community.
Moving the Oshkosh office in September to the Hyde Family Community Center, a component of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Oshkosh’s recent $18.5 million expansion, provides refugees with more accessible services and also opens doors to future partnerships with other organizations located there.
“The vision for the Hyde Family Community Center has always centered around collaboration and ease for families. We as nonprofits can operate in a way that brings together all of our unique services to work better together,” said Tracy Ogden, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh.
Sharing refugees stories
Another remarkable collaboration in 2024 aimed to foster greater cultural understanding of the refugee experience in the Fox Valley.
Dustin Mack, chief curator of the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton, called on World Relief to help develop an oral history project called Our Afghan Neighbors. The pop-up exhibit, which ran for three months in the fall, challenged the stereotypical image of Afghanistan in the news.
“It’s important to me that the world has a chance to see that Afghanistan has a bright side. All people know is the war and violence and the dark,” said Afghan program specialist Farah, who helped interview project participants in Dari, the Afghan dialect of Persian.
Personal stories from eight refugees, including Farah, challenged the stereotypical image of Afghanistan.
“Together we can capture history as it happens and help to build a sense of belonging. History is not always pleasant, but making personal connections within our community can lead to a brighter future,” Mack said.
This story is included in World Relief Wisconsin’s 2024 annual report.