Every year, millions of refugees leave their homelands to escape tyranny, poverty or persecution. A small percentage are allowed permanenet residence in a new country such as France, Canada or the United States. Some of them arrive in Seattle, Washington. Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and Church World Service (CWS) are two of the 14 organizations that provide sponsorship, give refugee arrivals to the United States a change at a new life.
The Diocese of Olympia's Refugee Resettlement Office, a local affiliate for EMM and CWS in Seattle, Washington, has assisted refuees from around the world since 1978. Our programs have welcomed over 15,000 newcomers to King County, Washington State and provided variety of services including food, shelter, orientation to Seattle, English tutoring, job placement, work-place training and financial literacy education. The Refugee Resettlement Office primarily serves Seattle but also serves low income refugees, immigrants and mainstream citizens in greater King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
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RRO's Mission:
The Diocese of Olympia's Refugee Resettlement Office helps newcomers, citizens and the working poor to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Our mission is accomplished through job placement activities and business development that promotes self-employment.
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| There are six main sources of services available through the RRO:
1. Resettlement
2. Job Development
3. Jump Start (Micro-Enterprise Development)
4. Individual Development Accounts
5. Social Services
6. English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes
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Letter from the Director:
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| December 5, 2007 Immigration seems under attack, but the staff and volunteers at the Refugee Resettlement Office remain committed to refugee immigrants as persons of special humanitarian concern. Refugees have fled persecution by organized governments or tribal warlords aimed specifically at them as individuals. Anyone designated by the U.S. government as a refugee has left their homeland, crossed an international border and applied for legal asylum in the United States. There are an estimated fifteen million refugees in the world, and each year the Seattle Office resettles about 250. For each of these persons our office extends a tradition of “welcoming the stranger” and laying the groundwork for a new start. Our various programs give tangible evidence of our commitment.
We hope that you can join us in our efforts. Any donation will be accepted and used to extend a program of welcome. For those who can afford $1,000 or more, we will create a micro loan fund in your name. Each year we will report to you on the entrepreneurs who have started business through your fund. Your fund will be “revolved” again and again to support refugee entrepreneurs.
Greg Hope,
RRO Director
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When you make a donation, you not only support our programs but also support the community of people who have escaped tyranny, persecutio, and extreme poverty. You are helping people who have gone through tremendous ordeal that none of us would ever wish to experience.
MAKE A DONATION...
...AND CHANGE A REFUGEE'S LIFE
To find out more about how you can become a supporter of one of our programs or how to sponsor our ESL students, please follow the link to our Donations website by clicking on picture below:
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We would like to thank all our last year patrons, whose contributions helped strengthen our programs and enabled us to provide more help
to the Seattle area refugee community.
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Diocese of Olympia
BuRSST for Prosperity
Saint Mark’s Cathedral
City of Tukwila
The Norcliffe Foundation
The Social Action Commission, the Ministry of Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Trinity Church
Mr. Paul Kassen
Ms. Mary B. Mullen
Ms. Carol J. Levin
Mr. Willis R. Brown
Your support is greatly appreciated!!!
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This year Refugee Resettlement Office will celebrate its 30th Anniversary! Yes! We've been serving Seattle area community for 30 years, and on December 13, 2008 we will host our 5th Annual Fund Raising dinner to commemorate this important milestone.
We are in the midst of preparations for this event and we need your help! If you would like to offer a helping hand, please go to our volunteers page or click on the image below to find more information on how to get involved.
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| Click the image to visit the Diocese of Olympia website |
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