AW non profit update

[mamaalysson]

Hi guys! A couple people asked in a thread a long time ago how our nonprofit is doing, so I thought I'd share. We've been busy!

So, when the first executive orders halting the refugee resettlement program came down, a couple things happened for us. 1) Donations and interest in our organization skyrocketed, as people felt a strong desire to do something. But, as no refugeees were coming, we quickly realized we needed to find a different way to channel that energy. So, 2) We pivoted from welcome bags to organizing community potluck dinners, where both recent refugee arrivals and established community members can come together to share a meal and get to know each other.

The first dinner was in March, and, holy balls, it was awesome. We were so nervous no one would come, or no refugees would come, or we would run out of food, or any number of things would happen. Over 200 people arrived, and so much amazing food. And people sat with strangers and tried new foods and talked and shared stories. And then in April, it tapered off a little, but still over 100 people came. And last month, about the same. I love these dinners so much.

Additionally, with the executive orders struck down, refugees began arriving again, so we are back to assembling and distributing the bags. My SIL and I have even started tagging along on airport arrivals, and it was really cool when we started recognizing people at the dinners who we had greeted at the airport. And on Friday, Trump's cap on refugee arrivals was also lifted. The organization we work with, Catholic Charities, will welcome 30 refugees arriving next week. Those are close to pre-Trump numbers.

Finally, the thing that kept me from responding to the last thread was that we were coming up on an event we helped Catholic Charities organize, a fundraiser for their refugee and immigrant programs. We organized a silent auction a "buy a blanket" event for them, and raised over $6000. The entire event raised about $40000.

So, that's where we are. It's been wild. A local kids' and family magazine named us as one of their top family-friendly organizations to volunteer for, so that was pretty cool. And a local breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant wants to makes us their charity in June, giving us the proceeds from some of their sales. Like I said, wild.

[lexus]

So awesome! Thank you for doing something tangible to combat xenophobia. ❤️

[mamaalysson]

May 29, 2017 10:28:47 GMT -5 lexus said:

So awesome! Thank you for doing something tangible to combat xenophobia. ❤️

Thank you. We are trying. Our bag packing event on Saturday felt extra needed after the horrific weekend our city has had.

[lexus]

It looked successful! I love following your group Instagram account. It's a bright light many days

[Deleted]

This is a fantastic update!! Thank you for making a difference!!! ❤️

[jag01]

You are such an inspiration. The world is a better place with people like you in it. Keep up your hard work!

[momin2013]

You're doing awesome, awesome work - love this update!