Announcement
On April 27th, nearly 175 community humanitarians attended Journey to the Wasatch, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City’s annual spring fundraising party celebrating the journey hundreds of our refugee neighbors undergo to make their home in Utah. Party-goers advocated on behalf of refugees at the Advocacy Basecamp, rallied during the symbolic live auction pledging almost $6,000 in 15 minutes, and continued to stand with refugees throughout the evening.
Supporters and friends of the IRC in Salt Lake City raised almost $6,000 during the symbolic live auction, rallying with messages of welcome and solidarity for refugees.
Photo: Kristin Murphy
Attendees experienced powerful moments when IRC in Salt Lake City executive director, Patrick Poulin, described the current state of refugee resettlement, and when Natalie El-Deiry, deputy director, thanked the group for standing with refugees like Apiel, Zarina, Rose, and Mohammad—refugees who were highlighted on posters around the room.
Attendees at Journey to the Wasatch stood with refugees like Apiel, Mohammad, Rose and Zarina who resettled in Salt Lake City and started their new lives in the United States.
Photo: Sarah Maddock/IRC
During the program, attendees viewed a short film of Ammar Al Jubouri, an IRC caseworker, telling his family's story of flight and finally safety, decidedly a highlight of the evening. In the video, Ammar discussed his life in Iraq: “I used to be a U.S. Army interpreter, my first job in Iraq.”
Ammar continued, “I decided to move to the United States because I received a lot of threats in Baghdad because of my work.” Most of his family is now in the U.S., fleeing as refugees from threats of violence, though his sister remains in Baghdad due to the Travel Ban.
Party-goers geared up and wrote letters to their elected officials in support of refugees at the Advocacy Basecamp.
Photo: Kristin Murphy
Since resettling to the United States as a refugee, Ammar’s proudest moments include paying off his IOM Loan, a loan given by the International Office for Migration to all refugee families to cover initial travel expenses, and becoming a U.S. citizen. “I am very proud to be an American and a former refugee. This is my new home and this is my new life,” Ammar said while smiling.
The video finished with Ammar describing the purpose of the evening: “Refugees are people like you and me. They are seeking safety and a new life here in the United States. It gives them a lot of opportunities to build their life from harm to home.”
Thanks to the the Student Stories Project and Claire Adams who were supported by the School of Humanities & Social Sciences at Salt Lake Community College and SLCC TV for working with Ammar to produce the short film. You can watch the full video here.
We would like to thank every attendee for joining us to #StandWithRefugees at Journey to the Wasatch.
A special thanks to our event sponsors, including:
Susan Poulin at Summit Sotheby’s International Realty
Beck Family Foundation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Additionally, we would like to thank our friends and in-kind sponsors:
Spice Kitchen Incubator entrepreneurs catered Journey to the Wasatch. Ahtti Korean Munchies and Kafe Mamai served small bites. M Bakeshop and Zahko Kurdish Sweets provided desserts.
Photo: Kristin Murphy
Finally, a special thanks to our team at Spice Kitchen Incubator, a program of the IRC in Salt Lake City, for coordinating the catering and providing new American entrepreneurs and chefs with opportunities to improve their skills and become successful in our community. Learn more about our work at Spice Kitchen Incubator by visiting SpiceKitchenIncubator.org.
View more photos of the event, captured by Kristin Murphy, by visiting our Facebook Album.
You can support future events as a monetary or in-kind sponsor! Learn more by emailing us at [email protected].