GenR: LA members talk to refugee youth about college opportunities in LA

The Afghan Senior Social Club brings together senior citizens from Afghanistan (ages 65+) once every month to learn about resources and programs for elderly and immigrant communities in Atlanta.

In celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20th, the IRC in Silver Spring profiled four individuals who came to the U.S. as refugees and went on to make significant contributions to our society.

Over 30 years ago, Sudan’s civil war uprooted 20,000 Sudanese children. They were known as the Lost Boys.

Phyllis Korogodsky, a loan officer with the IRC in Phoenix, was recently recognized by the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) with a resolution at their quarterly board meeting. The resolution read: “...[T]he CEO Board recognizes and thanks Phyllis Korogodosky for her exceptional service in her role as a Loan officer and Financial Coach for refugees in Arizona.” CEO is a subsidiary of the IRC that offers participants access to a range of affordable financial products that can accelerate clients’ upward economic mobility.  Recently certified by the U.S. Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the Center offers credit-building, auto, and business loans to low-income borrowers. 

The U.S. has a long tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing persecution and war. These vulnerable populations have suffered unimaginable hardship and face tremendous obstacles as they start their new lives. The IRC staff and volunteers provide support to refugees from their first moments in the country to help set them on a path to self-sufficiency.

This World Refugee Day, we are reaching back in history and taking inspiration from seven extraordinary individuals, among many over the years, who have stood with refugees. They have shown that progress is possible, even when the odds can feel too great to overcome.