In the middle of the night, Ali and his family raced in an ambulance from SeaTac Airport to a team of waiting doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Fleeing the threat of death at the hands of extremists and battling time to save the life of his gravely ill seven-year-old son, Ali had spent the last two and a half years pleading for a chance to leave Iraq, to exchange home for safety. Now, with the support of the Seattle community, Ali and his family begin the journey of rebuilding their lives.

During 2020, the IRC in San Jose served over 500 refugees, asylees, SIVs, and victims of trafficking from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, and El Salvador among other distressed regions of the world. These families and individuals escaped conflict and persecution in their home countries in order to reach the United States and begin rebuilding their lives. Your contribution this holiday season not only provides families with greatly needed items, but lets them know that San Jose cares about and welcomes refugees.

IRC staff know that steadfast and compassionate support can prevent the loss of young lives—and give families hope for the future.

In March of 2016, a young man and his family arrived in Dallas, Texas from Afghanistan. This month, he landed his dream job as a welder.

Refugee clients build successful businesses that allow them to earn much-needed income for their families while gaining confidence, deeper community ties, and much more.

This summer, the New Roots department selected three high school students from refugee families to be a part of the recently created Youth Food Justice Internship.

The IRC in Salt Lake City’s annual holiday gift drive offered the community an opportunity to fulfill holiday wish lists for newly arrived refugee families and individuals.

For the second year in a row the IRC in Wichita has hosted their Holiday Giving Tree. This year, 63 IRC families we able to receive gifts donated by sponsors from the Wichita community.

Learn how your group can support a new refugee family in Iowa through Co- Sponsorshp!

On April 6th, the IRC, in partnership with Play-well TEKnologies and Peer to Peer, brought 155 students and family members to the University of Maryland for a morning of LEGO-inspired learning. This was the second time that IRC in Silver Spring has had the opportunity to team-up with Play-Well TEKnologies to host a community building event for recently resettled families. “The Play-Well team uses the universal language of fun! Participants ranged from babies to grandparents, all excited to explore a new place and imagine a future at UMD.