Get Involved

Want to get more involved with Serving Refugee?
 
-Be informed, increase awareness, and share positive and accurate information on social media and in your community. Take a stand against intolerance and advocate respect and understanding across cultures and traditions. 

Refugee Services Office: refugee.utah.gov
Gerald Brown is the Director of the Refugee Services Office and spoke at the Orchard 6th Ward Humanitarian Fireside. He welcomes interested volunteers to contact him at 801-703-4845 or geraldbrown@utah.gov or check out the Refugee Services Office website for more information on how you can get involved in our community.
-Follow Refugee Services Office on Facebook or Twitter.
-Contact Refugee Service Office at 801-618-5096 or Email: refugeeoffice@utah.gov to join a brief orientation on refugees and how you can help.
-Volunteer Opportunities include: Computer science/coding training, Eagle Scout projects, Employer mentoring, English language tutoring, Family mentoring, Financial planning services, K-12 tutoring, Legal services, Oral health/dental services, Refugee Community Leadership mentoring, Transportation, Vehicle repair and maintenance, and Youth sports.
http://jobs.utah.gov/refugee/volunteer/index.html
-Housing and Community Mobilization: If you are interested in becoming involved in community planning, affordable housing development, or other large-scale refugee projects, contact the Refugee Services Office at refugeeoffice@utah.gov.
-Donate financially to the Utah Refugee Services Fund help support rent and housing assistance, refugee youth programs, refugee emergency fund, and other needs as determined by the Refugee Services Office Director. Mail a check to the Refugee Services Office, payable to: Refugee Services Fund. Mail to: Refugee Services Fund, Attn: Asha Parekh, 250 West 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84107
-Donate goods via Catholic Community Services, IRC, Asian Association of Utah, Deseret Industries, and Granite Education Foundation. http://jobs.utah.gov/refugee/volunteer/index.html


International Refugee Committee: www.rescue.org/united-states/salt-lake-city-ut
-Follow the IRC on facebook and other social media outlets (both nationally and the Salt Lake City office) for regular news updates and reliable information about the refugee crisis.
-Volunteer with the International Refugee Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake. The IRC works face to face placing, supporting, and providing services for refugees in Utah. They have a variety of volunteer opportunities in the Salt Lake area including ESL tutoring, Family Mentoring, Employment Mentoring, Front desk and Office Support, Financial Education, Youth In Home Tutoring, Health Mentor, and other One Time Volunteer Opportunities.
-Even if volunteering regularly in Salt Lake isn’t an option, attending one of the IRC’s regular volunteer orientation is a great way to get more information about the refugee crisis worldwide and the situation locally. https://www.rescue.org/announcement/how-volunteer-salt-lake-city
Goat Project
-Volunteer with the Goat Project

Catholic Community Services: www.ccsutah.org
- Follow CCS on Facebook and other social media outlets for upcoming events and ways to be involved.
-Volunteer with Catholic Community Services (CCS) in Salt Lake. The CCS works face to face placing, supporting, and providing services for refugees in Utah. The CCS’s biggest volunteer needs right now are for refugee mentors in Salt Lake City and refugee foster care tutors in Utah County. Other volunteer opportunities include: Employment mentoring, ESL, Tutoring Youth, Assist with the set-up of refugee family homes prior to arrival, and Office and Clerical help. Volunteers are also needed to help organize and sort home furnishings in the Sharehouse. Volunteer orientations are presented the second Thursday of every month at 5:45 pm at the Refugee Office on 745 E. 300 S.,SLC.
-Become a Refugee Foster Parent: Catholic Community Services of Utah provides specialized foster care services to hundreds of unaccompanied children from around the world. These children entered the U.S. without their parents or an adult to care for them. Minors that are eligible for the program include refugees, asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, special immigrant juveniles, and victims of human trafficking. http://www.ccsutah.org/programs/refugees/refugee-foster-care

Utah Refugee Center: http://serverefugees.org/
-The Utah Refugee Center has an excellent app called “Serve Refugees” to download with ways to learn about refugees and how to serve them locally in Utah.
-Utah resettles approximately 1,100 refugees annually. If you are interested in becoming involved in community planning, affordable housing development, or other large-scale refugee projects, contact Utah’s Refugee Services Office at refugeeoffice@utah.gov

Refugee Action Network: www.uvran.org
-Join the Refugee Action Network email newsletter for updates on small and large volunteer opportunities in Utah Valley. Email Lauren Kelly at lauren.kelly@uvran.org to sign up.
-Follow the Refugee Action Network on Facebook and other social media outlets.
-Attend a Thursday evening meeting at the Refugee Action Network (RAN) in Provo. 
-Join a RAN committee or subcommittee based on your interests and experience. Some of the committees include: Outreach & Awareness, Social Media & Press, Bazaar, Dinner & Gala, Charity Concert Planning, 5K Run, Housing Locating, Host Recruiting, and Network Development.  For more information visit: www.refugeeactionnetwork.org
-Become part of a Host Network for a refugee family in Utah Valley. http://www.refugeeactionnetwork.org/host/ 
-Drop off donations to be take to the Utah Refugee Center in Salt Lake at 210 W 200 N, Provo
M-F 9-5 info@uvran.org, (385) 208-4375

Carry the Future: www.carrythefuture.org
Carry the Future is a grassroots 501.C3 non-profit organization that focuses on providing wearable baby carriers and baby supplies to a refugee mother, father or child to provide comfort, security and relief for their continued journey, particularly in Greece.
-Follow Carry the Future on social media and share their message.
-Donate new or gently used soft structured carriers to be sent overseas to where refugees are actively seeking refuge.
-Give a “baby box” complete with essentials including diapers, blankets, hygiene items and mosquito nets for newborn babies and mothers.

Cotopaxi and the Utah Refugee Services Office have come together to launch a skills-based volunteer program focused on building computer science capacity here in Utah.
In the summer of 2006 the YourStory program began to record the life stories of refugees now living in Utah. The project goal was to document the rich diversity of life experiences present in refugee communities throughout the state.
-Listen to the life story of a refugee http://www.yourstory.utah.edu/listen-to-lives/refugee-voices
-Donate financially to help supply their program at http://www.yourstory.utah.edu/support-us
Refugees are legal to work upon arrival in the United States and bring with them strong work ethic, positive attitudes and employable skills.
-Why hire a refugee?: http://jobs.utah.gov/refugee/employment/07_135.pdf
-Utah Refugee Employment Services: http://jobs.utah.gov/refugee/employment/index.html


-Donate financially to the Utah Refugee Services Fund, IRC (locally and internationally), Catholic Community Services, Refugee Action Network, Utah Refugee Center, Carry the Future, or LDS Humanitarian Fund
International Help:
Ninety-six percent of the 20 million refugees in the world will never receive firm resettlement in the U.S. or any other safe country. There are many ways to help refugees internationally. The following organizations can provide you with more information:
-US Department of State: http://www.state.gov/j/prm/
-US Office of Refugee Resettlement: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr
-Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org/about
-Women’s Refugee Commission: https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/about
-International Rescue Committee: www.rescue.org

If you have ideas of how to get more involved or serve refugees in our community, contact Jenae Jeppesen.

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