Refugee Resettlement: Organize a Co-Sponsorship Group!

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Dear Friends,

Get involved with refugee resettlement by organizing a Co-Sponsorship Group! 

Inspiritus welcomes hundreds of refugees into Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama each year, but we cannot do this great work alone. Resettlement agencies rely on the support of the community to effectively welcome and set individuals on a path from surviving to thriving.

Inspiritus RIS volunteers from the Zen Garland Order prepare to welcome a newly arrived Afghan family at the Savannah airport.

Co-Sponsorship is a special relationship between a local resettlement agency, a community group, and a refugee family. This type of volunteer commitment is incredibly important to the work of welcome. Co-sponsors bring an essential level of commitment, continuity, and care for the refugees they serve and significantly multiply and extend the services refugees receive.

Although co-sponsorship is a serious commitment, it is also a meaningful way to engage with refugees. The main goal of co-sponsorship is to help refugees adjust to life in the United States and achieve self-sufficiency by being a support system, community guide, and friend during their first 6 months in the U.S. (and hopefully beyond).

What Help Do Co-Sponsors Provide?

Groups must provide at least 8 of the core services listed below. Support will be provided by Inspiritus staff for completing these services.

Pre-Arrival:

  • Housing

  • Home Set-Up

  • Furnishings and Supplies *Furnishings and supplies check lists provided

  • Seasonal Clothing

  • Stock the Pantry *Culturally appropriate grocery guide provided

  • Welcome Meal: *Culturally appropriate food list provided

Post Arrival *All post arrival services will be provided with appropriate interpretation, if needed:

  • Airport Pick Up *Airport pick up guide provided

  • 24-Hour Home Visit

  • Housing and Personal Safety Orientation

  • Public Assistance Enrollment (Cash Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP)

  • Social Security Card Application

  • File for AR-11

  • Employment Program Enrollment Follow Up

  • ESL Enrollment

  • Selective Service Registration

  • School Enrollment

  • Other Public Assistance Application as Applicable (SSI, WIC etc.)

  • Second Home Visit

  • Cultural Orientation *Topics and guide provided (coresourceexchange.org)

  • Cultural Orientation Assessment *CO Assessment form and guidelines provided

  • Transportation to Job Interviews and Job Training

Additional Services the Co-sponsorship Group May Wish to Provide:

  • Rental Assistance

  • Community Guide

  • Grocery Store Orientation

  • General Health Orientation

  • Financial Education

  • Help the family set up a bank account

  • English Language Tutoring

  • Job Development

  • Public Transportation Orientation

  • Continued Transportation Assistance

Requirements:

  • Must sign a commitment form with Inspiritus

  • Must commit to serve for 6 months

  • Must commit to a financial contribution to be used by Inspiritus to help refugees

  • All team members must attend a co-sponsorship training

  • All team members must complete a background check

  • Must provide at least 8 core services

Interested in co-sponsoring a refugee family or have questions? Contact Community Engagement Manager, Sarah Burke, at sarah.burke@weinspirit.org.

With gratitude,
Sarah Burke
Community Engagement Manager
Inspiritus

From "Doughnut Dollie" to Refugee Advocate - LSG Says Goodbye to 30-Year Staff Member, Kay Trendell

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Today marks the beginning of a new journey for Refugee Services Director Kay Trendell, who will be retiring from Lutheran Services of Georgia after 30 years of service. To honor her immeasurable contributions to the agency, we look back on the road that led Kay to LSG – a road that will continue to lead her to new experiences and adventures in the years to come. In her senior year at the University of Arkansas, Kay Trendell made a decision that would send her on path of service that continues to today. She heard about a Red Cross called Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas, and in 1967, she began her first tour of duty inVietnam.  While working as a “Doughnut Dollie,” Kay saw first hand in the streets of Saigon the plight of refugees as the Vietnamese who had fled to the city for safety tried to scratch out a living on the sidewalks of the city.

After two tours of duty in Vietnam, Kay decided to take a break and travel to Europe. She’d had enough of aircraft, so she booked a ticket on a freighter, which is where she met a young merchant seaman named Harry Trendell.  Seven months later they were married and came to Atlanta, where Kay accepted a position with the YWCA.

But Kay’s experience in Vietnam continued to call her, and in 1980 she volunteered to help a local agency resettle refugees.  Then she heard about a new agency that was looking for staff for its refugee resettlement program, and in 1982, Kay joined Lutheran Ministries of Georgia.  For the next 16 years, Kay worked in refugee employment, and in 1998 was named Director of Refugee Services, the position she holds today with Lutheran Services of Georgia.

Working with refugees brought Kay’s life full circle, from first encountering those displaced by the Vietnam War in their home country, to then helping them to rebuild their lives here in Atlanta.  She has heard many stories of incredible suffering, and marveled at the strength of the human spirit that helps them conquer it and move ahead.  She has seen the sacrifices parents made to come here for the sake of their children, and then rejoiced as the children flourished. She has experienced moments of grace with refugees who barely had any food in the house, but would never let a guest go without a bite to eat.

Kay is bidding LSG farewell today, but her legacy will continue on through the more than 16,000 refugees whose lives were changed because of her decision to go to Vietnam to serve her country.  Kay and Harry, we wish you the best in retirement!