Rising to the Challenge
The community’s support for MVRCR’s challenge grant campaign was extraordinary and inspiring, because people gave generously and welcomed future refugees—their neighbors-to-be—in solidarity.
When new federal policies for refugee resettlement were announced, Community Foundation President/CEO Alicia Dicks immediately called Shelly Callahan, Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) executive director, to ask how The Community Foundation could help its long-time partner meet the needs of the area’s newest residents.
“We have a base of growth [in the Mohawk Valley] because refugees are coming in and resettling in our area. They’re having a positive impact on the community, contributing not just to population growth, but to creative and cultural growth,” Dicks said. “Our organizations are working together to build a collaborative community with these new residents, and it’s really important for us to keep that door open.”
The phone call led to a MVRCR grant request; to leverage community support, The Foundation agreed to match contributions, up to $20,000. Over the course of six weeks, individuals donated nearly $16,000, and another $22,000 was gifted by corporate and foundation partners. The Community Foundation’s $20,000 match brought the total raised to more than $60,000, helping MVRCR to continue providing fundamental resettlement services.
The community’s support for MVRCR’s challenge grant campaign was extraordinary and inspiring, because people gave generously and welcomed future refugees—their neighbors-to-be—in solidarity. As the main service provider of its kind in Central New York for more than 35 years, MVRCR has helped more than 16,000 refugees from 36 countries start new lives; thanks to its many supporters, the work will go on.
“This community demonstrates that refugees bring incredible assets; they are helping to rebuild and revitalize our city,” said Callahan. “It’s important for people to recognize that being a refugee is difficult. It takes a lot of hard work to arrive here one day, learn the language, acculturate, get a job, and reach a level of independence. Refugee centers work to assist people, but it really is the refugees that pull themselves up by their bootstraps—which I think is a very American sort of sensibility—and start a new life.”