Have you received questions from members of your church, business, or organization inquiring about refugees in our city, and how they can get involved with the Global Refugee Crisis? St. Vincent Catholic Charities (STVCC) would like to help.
Learn About Refugees In Our City
For the past 30 years, St. Vincent Catholic Charities has resettled over 17,000 refugees, the only resettlement program of its kind in Lansing. Utilizing our expertise, we are offering presentations to any faith based organization who would like to learn more about refugees. Hosting the presentation will be Judi Harris, STVCC Refugee Services Program Director, who brings 23 years of professional experience managing international health and development programs. Included in the presentation will be a personal account from a refugee about their journey to the United States and their experience through the screening process.
The presentation will provide information on the refugee resettlement process, including who refugees are, the screening process they must undergo, how they are resettled, why they choose Michigan, the services resettlement agencies provide, and the benefits of refugees on the local community.
Judi’s work experience includes time in Senegal, Cameroon, Macedonia, Cambodia, and Haiti as part of the Peace Corps of the United States, Partners for Development, and the American Red Cross. Harris also has worked for the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the leading organization for refugee resettlement in the country. In Harris’ current position as Refugee Resettlement Director at St. Vincent Catholic Charities, she has managed all activities for the resettlement of newly arriving refugees for the only resettlement program for adult individuals and families in the Lansing area for almost seven years.
For the past few years, STVCC has averaged resettlement of approximately 600 refugees a year, serving people of all beliefs, ages, races, and ethnicities. Our refugee programming includes resettlement, employment, education, outreach and health services.
If you would like to learn about how you can help refugees in our city, please contact Marissa Nalley, Community Outreach Coordinator at STVCC Refugee Services, at (517) 323-4734 Ext. 1424 or at nalleym@stvcc.org. STVCC can always use volunteers to help families, donations of new or gently used household goods and furniture, diapers for babies, and funds to help new families achieve their self-sufficiency goals.
For More Information or to Schedule a Presentation contact:
John Karasinski
St. Vincent Catholic Charities
Associate Director of Community Relations and Marketing
karasij@stvcc.org
517-323-4734 ext 1202
