Atlanta Journal-Constitution Features Inspiritus Refugee Story

Lviv Croissants' first United States location is in Roswell, Georgia.

Dear Friends,

Inspiritus is proud to share the inspiring story Petro Dudnyk, featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lviv Croissants, a cherished Ukrainian eatery, is opening its first U.S. location in Roswell, GA thanks in part to the support of Thrive Community Lending, an innovative new program launched by Inspiritus this year. Petro, a Ukrainian pastor and franchisee, has brought this beloved brand to our shores, blending culinary tradition with a commitment to raising awareness for important causes. We invite you to read the full article from the AJC, which captures the spirit of this venture and the impactful work being done through Inspiritus. Read Petro's full story below.

Ukrainian restaurant Lviv Croissants set to open its first U.S. location in Roswell

By: Yvonne Zusel

A Ukraine-based eatery that’s gained popularity since debuting in 2015 is set to open its first U.S. location in Roswell.

Lviv Croissants will open at 11 a.m. Aug. 10 at 610 W. Crossville Road, with the official grand opening Aug. 14.

Founded in the city of Lviv, Ukraine, the chain has since expanded to 189 stores across Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia.

The store is majority-owned by Lviv Croissants corporate and Brett Larrabee, CEO of Lviv Croissants USA. Ukraine native Petro Dudnyk also serves as a franchisee for the location. Dudnyk, a pastor who also co-owns a Lviv location in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, came to the U.S. in 2022 for his son’s wedding and stayed after war broke out in the country. He funded his portion of the U.S. location through Thrive Community Lending, which provides microloans for refugees and immigrants.

Larabee, who has been in the food franchising business for nearly 40 years, said he and co-founder Andrii Galytskyi have been wanting to bring Lviv to the U.S. for years. Larabee was traveling in Ukraine for work when he began noticing the long lines that would form outside Lviv restaurants.

“Every time I went by a Lviv, they were packed,” he said. “After 37 years, I know what works and what doesn’t, what consumers want and don’t want. Lviv has a high-quality product and offers great coffee, great food and a great ambience where people can go and hang out and be part of a community.”

Petro Dudnyk (right) with Inspiritus President & CEO John R. Moeller Jr. (left) at the opening of Lviv Croissant in Roswell, GA.

While the menu for the Roswell restaurant will be very similar to European locations, some minor tweaks have been made, including removing the cheeseburger and teriyaki croissants.

Savory sandwiches on the American menu include the pastrami croissant; the Lviv croissant with salami, ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and garlic sauce; roasted pepper chicken; Italian charcuterie with salami, prosciutto and capicola; and a turkey avocado BLT

Sweet croissant offerings including a strawberry and mascarpone croissant and an option filled with pistachio cream, while savory breakfast croissants include one filled with cabanossi sausage, Swiss cheese, egg and Sriracha aioli and another with lox and cream cheese

Rounding out the menu are a handful of salads, soups and sides, as well as an extensive beverage list with espresso drinks, teas, lemonades and smoothies.

In addition to bringing a flavor of his home country to the U.S., Dudnyk also hopes to bring awareness to events unfolding there

The cups at the Roswell location will feature a QR code enabling guests to get information on United for Ukrainian (U4U) Kids, a program that Dudnyk and his wife started to connect orphans from Ukraine to host families in America for one month. Last year, they connected 100 kids — many of whom lost a parent to the war— with host families in the U.S.

Larabee said Lviv “checks all the boxes” when it comes to brands that are set up for success, and he has plans, along with Galytskyi, to open hundreds of Lviv locations across the U.S. in the coming years

“One of the things I look for are brands that can withstand challenged and work in tough environments,” he said. “What this chain has proved to me is that it’s a very resilient brand and product that consumers really appreciate.

To support micro-loans for refugee small businesses like Lviv Croissant, click the button below and select the "Thrive Community Lending" fund.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Virginia Spencer
Chief Development Officer
Inspiritus

Christian Science Monitor Features Inspiritus Refugee Story

Dear Friends,

Inspiritus is proud to share the inspiring story of Raga, featured in the Christian Science Monitor. Originally from Sudan, Raga endured years of hardship in a refugee camp in Darfur and later in Jordan before being resettled with her husband and two young daughters in Alabama in 2022. Since their arrival, Inspiritus has been by their side every step of the way, providing crucial support in securing housing, integrating into their new community, and connecting them with vital resources. Through the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of supporters like you, Raga and her family have not only found refuge but have also begun to rebuild their lives with newfound hope and resilience. Read Raga’s full story below.

Six immigrant stories tell the promises and pitfalls of the American dream

By Sarah Matusek

Raga always had to hide two decades ago when she was a young woman in Sudan. The Janjaweed militia in her area was known for spreading terror and raping women, so when they passed through she would bury herself under clothes, blankets, or whatever she could find. 

In the early 2000s, she joined countless other Sudanese who fled to an infamous camp for displaced people in Darfur. It offered little shelter from the horrors of war.

Born in 1988, Raga, who asked to use only her first name for privacy, lived in relative peace. Her father hung a swing from a tree. Her mother made orange juice. Without electricity, the moon shone so brightly that children could play games outside at night. They’d toss a coin or a bone, something that would shine, and then see who’d find it fastest on the moon-white ground.

Refugees sit inside a humanitarian truck at the Chad-Sudan border, March 6, 2008, as they await transfer from the border to a refugee camp for people displaced by fighting in Sudan

For a decade she waited in the Zamzam camp in Darfur. For seven more years she waited with her husband in Jordan. They registered with the United Nations as refugees. In 2022, an agency resettled the couple and their two young daughters in the U.S. A place called Alabama. 

They were excited when they first heard. But “when we first came, I wanted to leave,” Raga says in Arabic. She didn’t know anyone, and she was scared. 

With the help of a local resettlement agency, Inspiritus, the refugee couple secured a home and a few months of financial assistance. The nonprofit helped connect her to volunteers, and they grew into something like family, she says. When she and her husband struggled to get to the grocery store, one of their new friends gave them a gift: a used car.

The car guzzles a lot of gas, Raga says. “But we say, ‘Thank God.’” 

The weather in Sudan and Alabama, as it turns out, feels similar. The heat, the heavy rains, the lightning that cracks the sky. All the city lights in the Birmingham suburbs, though, dull the moon glow here. 

She feels happy and safe in the U.S. But once again, Raga finds herself waiting.

Learning English is a long-term goal. She dreams of opening a salon or a restaurant, but she knows that will take time. Her husband works, but their expenses outpace his modest income. She aches for her family members still in Sudan, worrying about their lack of food and medicine. She’s heartbroken that she’s unable to send them money, and that the violence endures. 

Raga finds solace in her Muslim faith. When she used to work at a church-run food pantry, she says her fellow workers didn’t object when she excused herself to pray, which she does faithfully, five times a day. 

“Religion doesn’t have a place or time,” she says. “You can do it anywhere.”

They face struggles, but Raga hopes that she and her husband can build a life in the U.S. that gives their young children a safe place to flourish. “I hope, God willing, I have all the strength to give them anything that they wish for,” Raga says. That includes a good education. 

She plays with her daughters, always addressing them in Arabic, and offers homemade orange juice to guests. The drink is sweet and silken on a warm spring day.

“I thought after being here a few months, I would be able to achieve all my dreams,” she says with a laugh. Two years have passed. “We try as hard as we can to stand on our own feet.” 

Yasmeen Othman contributed Arabic interpretation for Raga’s interview. Ms. Othman works for Inspiritus. 

Read 5 other inspiring stories by viewing the full article HERE.

If you would like to make a contribution to empower refugees on their paths from surviving to thriving, click the button below.

Sincerely,

Virginia Spencer
Chief Development Officer
Inspiritus

Join Inspiritus in Celebrating World Refugee Day!

Dear Friends,

June 20th is World Refugee Day! Since its establishment in 2001, communities across the globe have gathered on this day to recognize the courage and resilience of those who have been forced to flee their home countries, and to similarly celebrate and uplift the social, cultural, and economic contributions they bring to the local communities and countries they now call “home.” We are hosting events commemorating World Refugee Day in Metro Atlanta, Savannah, Birmingham, and Nashville and invite you to join us for a day filled with delicious food, and festivities as we focus our attention to the plight of refugees globally and the importance of welcoming them here locally.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that we show up in support of refugees, asylum seekers, and others who have been displaced from their homes on account of war or persecution and are in need of humanitarian protection. Just this week, the U.S. announced sweeping changes to how we will respond to individuals seeking safety in our country. This disappointing new policy imposes a multitude of new obstacles that greatly restrict the ability of anyone in need of humanitarian protection to claim asylum. Providing safe haven to vulnerable people and welcoming the stranger is not only the right thing to do, it is also a right of anyone in the world to legally exercise.

While World Refugee Day is a day of community, cuisine, and culture, it is also about reaffirming our shared values that transcend differences and speak to our shared humanity. All of our events are taking place between Thursday, June 20th and Sunday, June 23rd and will include music, dance, and other cultural performances along with guest speakers, family activities, and tasty food from the home countries of our refugee and immigrant neighbors. Below you’ll find more details on the specific events happening near you!

Metro Atlanta, Georgia WRD Celebration

DATE: Saturday, June 22nd

TIME:11:00am-2:00pm

LOCATION: Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave, Clarkston, GA 30021

Savannah, Georgia WRD Celebration

DATE: Sunday, June 23rd

TIME: 3:00pm-6:00pm

LOCATION: Lake Mayer Park 1850 East Montgomery Cross RD. Savannah, GA 31406

This event requests that all guests RSVP. To learn more about this event and to register, click here.

Birmingham, Alabama WRD Celebration

DATE: Saturday, June 22nd

TIME:10:00am-2:00pm

LOCATION: Trinity United Methodist, West Campus, 914 Oak Grove Road Birmingham, AL 35209

Nashville, Tennessee WRD Celebration

DATE: Thursday, June 20th

TIME: 6:00-8:00pm

LOCATION: Plaza Mariachi, 3955 Nolensville Pk, Nashville, TN 37211

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our welcoming work and our larger mission of accompanying refugees on their paths from surviving to thriving. We hope to celebrate with you within the next few weeks!

If you would like to make a contribution to empower refugees, click the button below.

Sincerely,

Inspiritus' Refugee & Immigrant Services Team

Inspiritus Client Featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dear Friends,

Inspiritus is proud to share the inspiring story of Mirwais, featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When Mirwais first arrived in the United States as an Afghan refugee in 2021, our Refugee & Immigrant Services team in Atlanta, GA, was there to support him. A former military officer in Afghanistan, Inspiritus helped him orient to the American workforce through our employment program. Now, Mirwais is using his newfound success to empower other refugees on their paths from surviving to thriving. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter, Kelly Yamanouch, recently spoke with Mirwais about the incredible work he is doing to help bridge the divide. Read the full story below.

He fled Afghanistan. Now he helps other refugees find work in Atlanta.

By Kelly Yamanouch

Mirwais Nawab Jalali was a military officer in Afghanistan, assisting the U.S. government there for years in America's longest war, before he left the country in the middle of the night with just some documents and his clothes.

He has a degree in biomedical engineering and other advanced education, and he speaks six languages. But in 2021, after Kabul fell and the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, "I just came and started from zero," Jalali said.

He eventually ended up here in Georgia, with a special immigrant visa for Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, living in Decatur while using his English language skills to help other refugees, and working in construction.

Later, a friend here who was an old classmate from Afghanistan told Jalali about a job at Unifi, an Atlanta-based aviation contractor. Unifi does ground handling, security, aircraft cabin cleaning and wheelchair assistance at Hartsfield-Jackson International and other airports around the country.

Jalali started working for Unifi in 2023, and now, as a recruiter for the company, he helps hire employees and get them started on the job.

With his deep connections to the Afghan community in metro Atlanta, Jalali is also helping Unifi with its recently announced goal to hire 500 refugees by 2027.

Mirwais Jalali, a recruiter for aviation contractor Unifi, gives new employees a tour of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, where he helps recruits throughout the company's hiring process. ARVIN TEMKAR/ARVIN.TEMKAR@AJC.COM

'We find a way'

In 2021, President Joe Biden launched an effort to support vulnerable Afghans resettling in the United States, including those who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan over two decades.

In 2022, Biden announced a process for Ukrainian citizens to come to the United States and be considered for eligibility for work authorization.

In other cities such as Seattle, Unifi is working with a Ukrainian church to reach out to refugees, displaced by Russia's invasion.

In Atlanta, Jalali shares job opportunities with multiple refugee communities in metro Atlanta through WhatsApp groups, and he helps recruits throughout the hiring process, going through background checks to get airport badges, and even arranging carpools to help those without vehicles and driver's licenses get to work.

"When I started, it was very hard to bring a single refugee. But now we find a way," Jalali said.

He said many of the refugees he connects with live in Stone Mountain, Decatur and Clarkston, where the nonprofit Clarkston Community Center offers English as a Second Language classes, connections to legal help for refugees and other services.

Unifi already has hired more than 200 refugees since 2022, particularly at airports in Atlanta, Houston and Seattle.

It is one of more than 200 companies across the country that are members of the Tent Partnership for Refugees to help refugees find jobs in the United States.

They include Delta Air Lines, which is a part-owner of Unifi; Accenture, IHG Hotels & Resorts, UPS, Amazon, Google and others.

"Refugees are looking for jobs. Companies are in short supply," whether it's at a Starbucks or a McDonald's or a Target, said Archana Arcot, Unifi's chief people officer.

The post-pandemic travel surge has motivated Unifi to find more workers and decide to "start having a formal structure to go out and hire refugees," Arcot said.

"Programs like this take a lot more effort to set up (and) establish, but once you have the right structure ... then it creates a multiplier effect," Arcot said. She said the company is trying to build more ecosystems for refugee hiring, such as in Minneapolis.

Refugees have the advantage of coming with eligibility to work in the United States - so the employer doesn't need to sponsor a work visa, Arcot noted.

And airports have long been attractive to "people coming into the country looking for jobs," especially in cities such as Minneapolis, Detroit and in cities in border states such as New York and Seattle, she said. Airports also often have public transit to easily get to work.

Jobs at Unifi and at airlines typically offer flight benefits, which are valuable to those who want to fly back overseas to visit family members.

Airports also tend to have jobs that require physical labor, and where language skills are not as large a barrier, Arcot said. Many of the jobs start at $15 an hour, she said.

"Where you can place them is limited," Arcot said. But she also sees higher retention rates because those workers are "not trying to go and work at three different employers."

Those who speak languages other than English can do well in jobs such as loading snack carts for in-flight catering and janitorial work, especially working on teams together, she said.

Those with English language skills can qualify for customer service roles, according to Arcot.

There may be some restrictions in the kind of work some are comfortable doing, she said. With loading beverage carts, "they may not be comfortable touching liquor," Arcot said. "Knowing the culture and recognizing what in that culture works and where you can assign them work is important."

In Atlanta, Arcot said Jalali is a key part of that strategy as a "high-touch recruiter."

Jalali said with some recruits, they may not speak English, have never used a computer and don't have an email address. He completes applications for them and helps them set up an email address.

"You're making these commitments and investments for the long term," Arcot said.

The long-term goal is for the workers to advance to different jobs, use their language skills and help with "appealing to a multicultural customer passenger base, which will always be the topography of large international airports," she said.

Hogai Nassery, CEO of the Afghan American Alliance of Georgia, said upward mobility is important.

"We have some folks who are pretty well educated and speak pretty good English," Nassery said. "The jobs themselves are great-people need to land on their feet."

She also said, "Whatever they're doing now, I hope it's geared towards jobs that definitely have some legs."

Jobs at the airport, such as with Unifi, are seen as better than work in warehouses, chicken factories and manufacturing plants, said Shaista Amani, program manager at the Afghan American Alliance of Georgia. But she added that workers also need a way to move up, by gaining certified skills such as ServSafe certification for food handling.

But it is difficult for even well-educated Afghan refugees to find professional jobs if they don't have U.S. job experience or personal connections, she said.

Jalali also said he knows some workers who are highly educated and, like when he first arrived, are starting out all over again.

"We have doctors.... We have a minister," Jalali said.

"It's up to you how you want to build your future."

Our 2023 Annual Report is Here!

It’s Here!
Inspiritus' 2023 Annual Report

Dear Friends,

Thanks to your generous support, Inspiritus had the privilege of empowering 11,124 individuals on their journeys from surviving to thriving in 2023! It was a year marked by significant growth, exceptional leadership, and a deepened commitment to our mission.

We are thrilled to share with you our 2023 Annual Report, which provides an in-depth look at our achievements and impact over the past year. Inside, you'll find inspiring stories of resilience, community impact, and transformation. Click the button below to read the full report.

Your ongoing support has been instrumental in helping us create thriving communities, and we invite you to explore the full report to see the difference you've made. Thank you for being an essential part of the Inspiritus family and for your continued commitment to our mission.



With gratitude,

Virginia Spencer
Chief Development Officer
Inspiritus

Action Alert: Keep Our Communities Welcoming!

Dear Friends,

As proposed pieces of legislation continue to advance during state legislative sessions across the country, we want to raise your attention to some anti-immigrant bills that have unfortunately been gaining some traction in the states of Georgia and Tennessee. As time ticks, it will become more imperative (and challenging) to stop these bills from advancing further.

We encourage you to call your lawmakers in your respective states and speak with their offices about these harmful pieces of legislation. Click here to identify your State Representative and State Senator and find their district number.

Read more below for a brief policy update on these bills and more information on how to take action.

Georgia: HB 1105, “Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act”

• Requires local law enforcement agencies to act as federal immigration officers and arrest any individual they encounter whose immigration status they cannot verify and for whom they have probable cause to arrest based on impeding felony charges and misdemeanor charges- which includes minor traffic violations.

• Withholds state and state-administered federal funding from local governments who do not choose to comply with this policy.

• Subjects local police officers to be charged with a misdemeanor for not complying.

• Requires sheriffs to hold individuals in custody indefinitely until their immigration status is confirmed by ICE.

• Anyone suspected of being undocumented who is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor offense is required to provide a DNA sample.

• This bill encourages profiling and will create a chilling effect across our communities, impacting our state workforce, local schools, and local neighborhoods.

Tennessee: HB 2124 & SB 2576

• Similarly to Georgia’s HB 1105, would require all local law enforcement agencies in Tennessee to communicate, cooperate and assist federal immigration officials in detaining (ICE)

• Perpetuates the possibility of family separation among immigrant families in TN.

• Places a tremendous burden on local law enforcement agencies and hinders their ability to meet the needs of residents by requiring them to operate as immigration agents. This will further erode trust among immigrant communities and local law enforcement.

• Waste of resources, time, and capacity for local law enforcement; infringes on the will of voters who elect Sheriffs to act with agency and local authority.

Tennessee: HB 1730 & SB 1717

• Aims to require all written driver license examinations to be administered in English only.

• Prohibits use of a translation dictionary, electronic device, or interpreter to assist with the examination.

• This bill would harm our economy by making it more difficult for some workers to get licensed and drive to their workplaces.

• As more people become unlicensed, driving and being on the road generally becomes more dangerous for all of us.

• The fact that Tennessee already offers the exam in a number of languages is a good thing for our workforce, local communities, and individuals who are lawfully present in our country and only trying to live their lives. It is mean-spirited and counterproductive.

Thank you for standing in solidarity with us as we aim to protect and defend refugee and immigrant communities across the Southeast. We appreciate you lending your voice.

With gratitude,
Aimee Zangandou
Executive Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services
Inspiritus

Two Years Later: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Dear Friends,

It’s been a little over two years since Russia’s most recent historical invasion of Ukraine, marking the beginning of an ongoing conflict that has forced approximately 14 million Ukrainian nationals to flee their country - up 93% since this time last year.

Since the launch of the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program in April 2022, more than 178,000 Ukrainian refugees were sponsored by U.S. residents, offering these individuals a pathway to safety and an opportunity to regain a sense of stability- even if temporary- in a new community that welcomes them.

For the Ukrainian refugees across Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, our Refugee and Immigrant Services team members who serve these particular refugees (most of whom are Ukrainian born) act as an indispensable resource, supporting them as they navigate new pathways essential for establishing stability and success, such as securing employment, enrolling in education programs, and connecting them to spaces of fellowship and community. As we work to help these individuals adjust to life in the U.S., we have also been working to advocate for them and uplift their culture and the contributions they make to our local communities.

Last Tuesday, the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that Ukrainians who entered the U.S. as Humanitarian Parolees are eligible to apply for re-parole, extending their visa by an additional two years if approved. We applaud this decision and are relieved that there is hope and greater certainty for our clients in what the short-term future may hold.

As we reflect on the work we’ve done in the past two years to welcome Ukrainian refugees, we’d like to introduce you to a very special family we’ve been blessed to walk alongside on their path from surviving to thriving!

Meet The Sorohin Family (Cumming, GA):

Yuliia, a linguist and interpreter, met her husband Andrii while he was studying to become an MD. After graduating in 2003, Andrii began his residency at a major hospital in Kyiv, marking the beginning of an impressive and dynamic career in the medical field and pharmaceutical industry. He and Yuliia would get married, welcome four children to their family, and continue building their lives and careers in Ukraine’s capital city.

However, by autumn of 2022, Russian forces had started bombing and shooting in major cities, destroyed many electrical stations, creating chaos, destruction and blackout throughout Ukraine. Yuliia notes the poignancy of this moment - her family cold, afraid, and surrounded by darkness, recognized it was no longer safe to stay. Saying goodbye to their beloved family, pets, neighbors, and family home, they made the heartbreaking yet necessary decision to leave Kiev.

Following a brief stay in Poland, the Sorohin family arrived in the U.S. in April 2023 through the Uniting for Ukraine sponsorship program. After initially spending some time with a sponsor in California, the family received an opportunity to relocate to Georgia. Thanks to a loan from a generous friend, Andrii and Yuliia purchased a used car and together with their four children, kicked off their cross-country road trip that would land them in Cumming.

Thanks to friends and American sponsors in Georgia, the family was able to settle and adapt in Cumming. The family who hosted the Sorohins were very kind and good people but as a family of six, they would soon need to find their own place and begin their own pathway forward in the U.S.

With the support and guidance of Inspiritus, Andrii and Yuliia were able to move out of their sponsor’s home and into their own place within three months of arriving. Additionally, our team worked with Andrii and Yuliia to get their (many) collective degrees translated and evaluated so they can be officially recognized among U.S. employers and educational institutions. It was through this experience that Andrii soon realized that state licensing policies do not offer a streamlined pathway for foreign-trained physicians like him to practice medicine in the state of Georgia. Reducing barriers to relicensing for foreign-trained doctors like him is a cause for which he’s become a community advocate and has even discussed with Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger last month.

While he hopes to one day practice medicine again here in Georgia, in the meantime, Andrii works as a Pharmaceutical Technician at a local pharmacy where he’s able to remain connected to the medical field. Yuliia has thrown herself into nonprofit work as a regular volunteer with the U4UKids Project, a program dedicated to helping Ukrainian children whose fathers died in the war. Their eldest son, Daniel (18), is working his short-term dream job as a Starbucks barista while he works on his long-term dream of going to college for fashion design. Their other children, whose ages range from 16, 11, and 7 are loving their Forsyth County neighborhood schools and have course achievements. The family has joined a nearby Evangelical church, where they’ve found a place of community and fellowship.

Despite all the challenges and hardships this family has endured, these experiences have done little to shake the family’s faith and optimism. When asked about their hopes for the future, Yuliia remarks, “We believe that God will help us. Our hope is to have a good possibility for life in America. Good jobs, good moments…But our heart is broken about Ukraine. We know the war is evil. Good must win. It is painful to discuss, but as Bible teaches us, what your hand can do – do it with all your might! In other words: if you can help, you must help (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We try to help in any way we can…we don’t know how long the [Uniting for Ukraine] program will last but while we are here, we will help in any way to our Homeland.”

As a final thought, the Sorohin family has a message to share with our state lawmakers and the American people:

“Ukrainian families across the world ask you to continue praying for Ukraine, for the victory of good over evil, for God's blessing for Ukraine, and we ask you to support the people of Ukraine in this difficult time. Your contribution to start our lives here is so important and significant and we appreciate it! Thank you for your strong support. God bless Ukraine. God Bless America. Glory to God.”

With gratitude,

Aimee Zangandou
Executive Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services
Inspiritus

ACTION ALERT: Help Advocate For Those We Accompany

Action Alert: 3 Things You Can Do to Advocate for Refugees and Immigrants at the State and Federal Level

Dear Friends,

With our members of Congress busy back in Washington DC and our Georgia State legislators back in full swing under the Gold Dome, there are ample opportunities for advocates like you to raise your voice in support of refugees and immigrants with our state and federal lawmakers. We are in a pivotal moment that calls for courage among our elected officials to stand up for human rights and help retain the United States’ proud tradition of welcoming individuals who look to us for safety after enduring war, political oppression, and other forms of identity-based persecution.

There are three, easy actions we encourage advocates to take to help us in our efforts to preserve dignity and welcome for all. Here are the top three things you can do to show your support for refugees and immigrants in Georgia:

1. Register to attend the 2024 New Americans Celebration

The best way to do advocacy work is in-person and there is no better day to advocate for refugees and immigrants than the annual New Americans Celebration!

Inspiritus is one of 26 refugee and immigrant-serving nonprofit member organizations in the Georgia Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies. Collectively, we host events and engage in legislative advocacy with a goal of continuously uplifting the contributions of Georgia’s foreign-born communities. The New Americans Celebration is one of these events and each year around Valentine’s Day, we bring hundreds of foreign-born and native-born Georgians to the Capitol for a day of education, advocacy, and outreach, demonstrating to our lawmakers just how much we love the work we do and our communities we serve.

We’ll be back this year on Tuesday, February 13th! You can register for the event or sign up to volunteer by clicking the buttons below.

2. Sign up for CRSA Action Alerts

While Inspiritus will continue to share policy updates and action alerts for pressing matters at the federal level, we encourage you to connect with us and our partners through the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies newsletter for updates and action alerts impacting refugees and immigrants at the state level. Click the button below to sign up for CRSA action alerts!

3. Speak out against legislation that dismantles access to asylum for vulnerable migrants in need of immediate safety

For the past few months, the White House and a small bipartisan group of Senators have been attempting to negotiate a legislative deal that would pair permanent policy restrictions to the asylum system with an unrelated supplemental funding bill that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian relief, and certain domestic needs issues. This legislation was unveiled Sunday night and includes the following elements:

• Authorizes the President and Department of Homeland Security to “shut down” the border if more than 4,000 migrants seek entry at our Southern Border on average within a seven day period.

• Mandated implementation of border closure if more than 5,000 migrants on average seek entry to the U.S. within one week’s time, or, when the daily number exceeds 8,500.

• Raises standard for “credible fear standard”, used to determine validity and severity of cases among individuals applying for asylum.

• Introduces a new process in which US Citizenship and Immigration Services would decide an asylum claim without it going through the immigration court system. (Exceptions for unaccompanied migrant children.)

• Expedites the asylum processing timeline from years to six months, and establishes work-authorization eligibility to asylum seekers while cases are pending.

• Pathway to legal permanent residency for our Afghan allies who entered the U.S. on with temporary status as Humanitarian Parolees.

Inspiritus commends the inclusion of certain, much-needed provisions such as expedited processing time for asylum applicants, work authorization for asylum applicants, and a pathway to legal permanent residency for Afghan Humanitarian Parolees; however, we remain deeply concerned about the unprecedented powers of expulsion, detention, and denial of due process for individuals and families seeking asylum at the southern border.

The right to seek safety across international borders is a right to which vulnerable migrants fleeing persecution are legally entitled and is part of a larger legacy in moral and global leadership that the United States should not relinquish.

Senate leaders have indicated they intend to put this bill up for a procedural vote tomorrow, Wednesday, February 7th. Please call Senators Ossoff and Warnock and ask them to vote “no” on any version of a supplemental emergency national security bill that places heavy restrictions on asylum access. You can refer to the script sample below when calling.

Script Sample:

Hello, My name is ___________ and I am a constituent of [city, state.] I am calling today to express my concern with the proposed restrictions on asylum access in the new bill the Senate revealed over the weekend. Access to asylum is not only a very real and necessary lifeline for migrant families and individuals fleeing persecution, but it is also a fundamental human right that speaks to our country’s history as a beacon of safety and hope for those who are unfairly persecuted in their home countries. While I celebrate some other elements of the bill such as a pathway to legal permanent residency for Afghan humanitarian parolees, I believe this bill will unfairly result in too many vulnerable families being denied a fair shot at safety and being sent back into harm’s way. As such, I am asking the senator to vote “no” on this bill in its current form or any form with similarly harsh restrictions on asylum access. Thank you.”

Thank you for your continued support.

With gratitude,

Aimee Zangandou
Executive Director of Refugee & Immigrant Services
Inspiritus

U.S. Annual Refugee Admissions Cap Raised to 62,500

Dear Friend,

I have waited four years for this day. As a former refugee, I was excited by yesterday's news that the United States will officially raise the refugee admissions ceiling for the 2021 Fiscal Year to 62,500. This puts us one step closer to America's historical average of 95,000 and it's a significant increase from the prior year’s record-low of 15,000.

We at Inspiritus rejoice in the spirit of welcome and are eager to empower these individuals and families on their journey from surviving to thriving.

As Rev. John R. Moeller, Jr., Inspiritus' President & CEO has shared:

“Inspiritus is excited to get back to the robust work of welcoming the stranger! Inspiritus and its partners live to offer this welcome. It’s who we are. It’s like sunshine, air, or water to our team. It’s our very life. For the last several years, Inspiritus has experienced a dark winter of the soul. It doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy. In fact, the team has used the time to plan, but now we know that spring is coming. I can see the life blood coming back into bodies, minds and spirits of our staff and partners. Together, we will be more than ready to roll out the red carpet and provide a warm welcome to the huddled masses who seek an opportunity to start anew in America!"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On a personal note, I wish to thank our many supporters who advocated on behalf of refugees. This increase is thanks to everyone who raised their voices and is proof that advocacy works.

Please consider donating to our refugee services and programs today, so we can continue our work to reunite families. As always, thank you for the compassion, support, and care you provide to the refugees we serve. We couldn’t do this work without you!

With Gratitude,

Aimee Zangandou
Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services
Inspiritus

Inspiritus in U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report
Feb. 5, 2021, at 5:24 p.m.
By Claire Hansen, Staff Writer

Long Shadow of Trump's Refugee Restrictions Threatens Biden's Bid to Up Admissions

Resettlement agencies, crippled by Trump’s policies, say they’re determined to rebuild as President Joe Biden promises to increase refugee admissions.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Inspiritus, Inc., a nonpartisan and nonprofit agency.

The Rev. John Moeller has had to lay off a lot of employees since the Trump administration began slashing refugee admissions four years ago."We have a skeleton staff today," says Moeller, the chief executive officer of Inspiritus, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides refugee resettlement services."All of the specialization and professional skills and languages we had on our team have all had to go," he says.

But in some ways, Inspiritus is lucky. It is still open. More than 100 organizations in the U.S. have had to close down or suspend their refugee services in the last four years as former President Donald Trump lowered refugee admissions to rock-bottom levels, drying up federal funding doled out to resettlement agencies. Many organizations that didn't have to close were, like Inspiritus, forced to scale down. Now, the diffuse refugee resettlement infrastructure in the U.S. is facing a new, albeit more welcome, challenge: rebuilding.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he will raise the refugees admissions cap to 125,000 for the next fiscal year, fulfilling one of his campaign promises while pledging to restore the refugee resettlement system. He also intends to propose raising admissions for this year after a consultation with Congress.

As with many other programs, Biden will be contending with the long shadow cast by Trump administration policies. It'll likely be years before the crippled system is able to once again process and handle such an influx – a fact Biden seemed to acknowledge.

"It's going to take time to rebuild what has been so badly damaged. But that's precisely what we're going to do," Biden said during a speech at the State Department.

Refugee agencies say they're excited and determined, despite the long road ahead.

The president has the authority to determine how many refugees – the world's neediest people, often fleeing devastating violence and persecution in unstable parts of the world – are admitted to the U.S. each year. The fraction of those allowed to settle in the country go through extensive background and security checks that can take up to two years in some cases.

April 7, 2020 | Bogota, Colombia | Venezuelan migrants leaving Colombia walk on a highway with their belongings. Thousands of Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia have lost their jobs and in some cases been evicted from their homes due to the recession caused by the spread of COVID-19. Groups of Venezuelans gather in walking caravans and head to the border crossing in Cucuta, Colombia. (Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images)

Trump, who campaigned on an anti-immigrant message, targeted the refugee program as soon as he took office, almost immediately slashing admissions from 110,000 to 50,000 and pushing the cap down further each year, ending with a ceiling of 15,000 for the current fiscal year.

It was an enormous deviation for the program, which has been robustly supported by both Republican and Democratic presidents and held up as an example of American's moral leadership. The annual ceiling on admissions has historically averaged about 95,000.

Resettlement in the U.S. involves a complex web of private and public partners. It is largely handled by nine major nongovernmental organizations that work with the State Department and either have local offices around the country or partner with local agencies. The federal government, which vets and processes refugees before they are allowed into the country, gives the agencies funding based on how many refugees they settle. Most states also contribute funding, and agencies also rely on volunteers and donations.

Pushing admissions to record lows, therefore, has had a domino effect: Significantly fewer admissions means significantly less money. Less money means fewer staff and fewer offices. "If you wanted to kill a refugee program, this was the way to do it. You squeeze it to death, you strangle it slowly," Moeller says.

The loss of expertise and intellectual capital will be difficult to restore, experts say. Moeller notes that refugee resettlement is an economy of scale: The larger number of refugees an agency serves allows it to be more efficient with staffing and services. Significantly lower admissions also affect whole ecosystems of services that have been grown and nurtured over the years to support newly settled refugees, says Hans Van de Weerd, interim senior vice president, Europe, at the International Rescue Committee, one of the nine major resettlement agencies. "A lot of the systems that benefit from the regular flow of refugees and immigrants arriving get really, really damaged," Van de Weer says of lowered admissions.

Employers that partner with resettlement agencies to provide opportunities for refugees, for example, needed to find other streams of workers when refugee admissions dried up, Van de Weerd says. Losing those partnerships will have a lasting impact, even as admissions ramp back up under Biden.

"The infrastructure and capacity is not there," Moeller says. "The sinews have not been maintained to ensure that the partnerships we need to be effective are knit together."

It wasn't just the raw admissions numbers. The Trump administration also imposed additional bureaucratic barriers on refugees while shuttering refugee offices and reassigning refugee officers.

March 25, 2020 | Berlin | A poster supporting homeless people and refugees is displayed at the window of an apartment building. The German words read: "Racism Kills." (Markus Schreiber/AP)

Trump's travel ban – which was rescinded by Biden on Day One of his term – barred refugees from countries with some of the worst humanitarian crises, like Syria and Yemen. The administration also reset admissions priorities, ditching international standards that push the neediest refugees to the top of the list for guidelines that tend to favor Christians and white Eastern Europeans.

"If you think about the program as a car, not only did the previous administration slam on the brakes, it intentionally sought to dismantle the engine," says Krish Vignarajah, chief executive officer of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of the major U.S. resettlement organizations. Vignarajah said 17 of the organization's affiliated refugee agencies had to close in the last four years as a result of Trump policies. Biden seems eager to start reversing some of those policies. He on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at restoring the resettlement system that included a laundry list of action items. The order directs the government to streamline the refugee process and calls for a review of existing programs and some Trump policies. It also rescinds several Trump actions.

Experts involved in resettlement say changes at the federal level concerning policy and staffing will be crucial in building out the resettlement system again, but refugee agencies themselves will still face formidable obstacles in preparing to handle more admissions. Even just finding and hiring qualified staff back will take time."That whole infrastructure was basically strangled, and rebuilding is going to take a massive amount of time," Van de Weerd says.

April 6, 2020 | Ciudad Juarez, Mexico | Cesar, an asylum seeker from Nicaragua waits with his wife, Carolina (right) and his 8-year-old son Donovan at a U.S. port of entry to change their asylum court dates. (PAUL RATJE/AFP/Getty Images)

Agencies are also facing less tangible obstacles. Trump's rhetoric demonizing immigrants and a charged political atmosphere have contributed to a more hostile and xenophobic environment in some places for refugees, agencies say, though they note that their communities are still overwhelmingly welcoming.

"We have seen a shift in how refugees are treated, because sometimes they're lumped into the pool of immigrants, and people aren't always educated on who refugees are," says Shalaina Abioye, the director of refugee services at Catholic Charities Fort Worth in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

The Trump administration's restrictions on the system, however, came with a few silver linings – some of which could prove crucial in the coming years. Some agencies reassigned staff members from refugee programs to efforts helping asylum-seekers and other immigrants. Those shifts, and the drop in needed refugee services, also allowed organizations to focus heavily on helping communities through the coronavirus pandemic. With less federal funding flowing in, refugee organizations have put more effort into private fundraising, which will come in handy as admissions ramp up and agencies begin to rebuild.

And agencies say they're seeing even more community buy-in and enthusiasm from volunteers – not, perhaps, in spite of the current political environment, but rather because of it.

March 28, 2020 | Lesbos Island, Greece | A migrant family wearing handmade protective face masks stand next to their tent in the Moria refugee camp. (MANOLIS LAGOUTARIS/AFP/Getty Images)

"All of this negative policy attention really did trigger a lot of support in communities," Van de Weerd says. "We will be able to scale up rapidly because there are communities that are willing to help and to stand up and to make local resources available as well."

No one can say for sure how many refugees the U.S. will be able to settle in the next year or two, but many people who work in resettlement say it's unlikely the country will be able to hit 125,000. Some are cautiously optimistic about seeing somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000 refugees admitted in fiscal 2022. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic will likely continue to impose additional barriers on travel and resettlement. Despite a demoralizing four years and the looming challenges ahead, resettlement agencies say they're both hopeful and committed to rebuilding and serving as many people as are admitted to the U.S. Some have already crafted or implemented plans to start expanding their operations again.

"We'll be ready to reach out and hire staff, since there's so many staff who have been laid off from different agencies and across the United States," Abioye says. Moeller, in Georgia, says his staff is determined.

"We will find a way to overcome," he says. "At one level, you might look at the infrastructure and say it's impossible, but at another level, we say that's what we do. We do the impossible."

Please consider donating today to join with us in doing "the impossible."

If you'd like to share a link to this article, please do so here. As always, thank you for the compassion and support you provide to refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants.

With Gratitude,

Virginia Spencer
Chief Development Officer
Inspiritus

#refugeeresettlement #SurvingtoThriving #Inspiritus

LSG Recruits Mentors and Mentees for Careers and Connections

Lutheran Services of Georgia  is piloting Careers and Connections, a refugee career mentoring program with Higher, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service’s national employment initiative.

Careers and Connections aims to accomplish two goals: to support long-term career advancement for refugees and to deepen social connections between refugees and their communities. LSG is recruiting 30 mentors to match with 30 refugees. The mentor will act as a job coach, equipping the refugee to develop skills, identify long-term career goals, and create a plan to reach those goals.

Through mentoring relationships, refugees receive the opportunity to expand their social networks. Upon arrival in Georgia, refugees often face significant barriers to community integration. Language skills and difficulties navigating the institutions and customs of a new culture can leave refugees vulnerable to marginalization. This program connects refugees and long-term local residents who can work together to build a more cohesive and vibrant community.

LSG is currently recruiting professional mentors from various fields and refugee mentees for a new cohort to begin mid-May, 2015. For more information on Careers and Connections or to volunteer to become a mentor for a newly arrived refugee, contact Melanie Johnson at mjohnson@lsga.org or at 678-686-9619.

LSG's 2014 Heroes: R.N.C. Industries

 

Each year, Lutheran Services of Georgia honors community heroes at the annual Heroes of Hope, Healing, and Strength Gala! On Thursday, September 25, 2014, LSG will honor Lutheran leaders Rev. Darrel and Mary Peterson, community leader Erroll B. Davis, and business leader R.N.C. Industries. For more information about the Gala, click here.

R.N.C. Industries has been in business since 1990. It was founded by Larry Clark. In 1995 Charlotta Clark joined Larry at R.N.C. and the business was incorporated. They have moved from being a very small business, to a company that employs almost 70 people.

R.N.C. produces one of the highest quality shipping containers on the market. Control Temp Packaging is used to ship all types of temperature sensitive products from blood and vaccines, to chocolates and cheesecakes. We strive for customized, high quality service and products for each of our customers.

Beyond providing excellent products to our customers, R.N.C. is committed to giving back to the community.

R.N.C. is named for the son of Larry and Charlotta Clark, Ralph Noye Clark, who passed away at age 5 from pediatric cancer. With the growth over the past 24 years, R.N.C. is now thrilled to be able to give to Camp Sunshine, an organization that organizes programs for children with cancer and their families. Taylor Clark, the Vice President of Marketing, and Maria Cornejo, the Human Resources Manager, are also volunteers for Camp Sunshine.

R.N.C. plans to continue the tradition of excellence in all realms of business, making a wonderful work environment for employees, providing only the best for our customers, and giving back to the community.

Volunteer of the Month: Adrainne Gray

Congratulates to Adrainne Gray, our Refugee and Immigration Services volunteer of the month! Adrainne's passion for service drives her to volunteer in the community through LSG. Three years ago, Adrainne and her family approached LSG in search of ways to follow Jesus's calling to serve their neighbors. After learning more about LSG's work with refugee communities, Adrainne decided to mentor recently arrived refugees. She quickly discovered that, here in Georgia, "We didn't have to go far to serve and walk along with our global neighbors. They were coming to us."

As Adrainne served with LSG, she felt a growing call to take on a more prominent role in ministry. She joined the Lutheran Deaconess Association and is now in the process of becoming a consecrated deaconess. She also began studying for a M.A. in Practical Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. Because of her experience with LSG, she requested that her fieldwork be with LSG's Refugee and Immigration Services department.

Today, Adrainne coordinates Words of Hope, a subset of Friends in Hope, LSG's visitation ministry to immigrants in detention. Adrainne recruits and trains volunteers who travel to the North Georgia Detention Center. There, they use storytelling and story gathering to share Bible stories with women in detention. She said, "For my fieldwork, I felt that the bible study was a beautiful opportunity to practice both Word and Service."

Adrainne's faith inspires her to continue acting as a compassionate presence for refugees and immigrants in detention throughout Georgia. "Jesus calls us to be bold and to follow him," she reflected, "even into places that are uncomfortable. I really believe Jesus is asking me to listen to the voices that are ignored or silenced by the majority, to listen to their cries. I challenge others to come and hear."

To learn how you can share Words of Hope with immigrants in detention, click here.