Help World Relief Continue Its Vital Work

Running for Refugees: Sponsor me as I run 30 miles to raise awareness and funds for World Relief as they serve refugees around the world.

“Hope and inspiration can be hard to channel, and though it may sound naive, there is a practical need to cultivate hope, joy, and inspiration above the noise. Engaging with toxic commentary, even to refute it, can help amplify it, so try to save your energy for conversations and actions that might make a difference.” -Sage & Amick, Democracy in Retrograde

This quote is my WHY in starting a fundraiser to bring awareness to the refugee crisis in light of the recent halt in federal funding that allows organizations like World Relief help vetted refugees flee dangerous situations and resettle in the United States.

As an American, I belief all people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and should be given basic human rights. Other than indigenous people, the rest of us are only “American” because our ancestors were once “refugees” fleeing tyranny or persecution in hope of finding religious or political freedom. I believe all people still deserve the right of being protected and the hope of a better life. I’ve also witnessed the beauty of diversity in my own life, how it has become richer as a result of being in close proximity with those of a different ethnic background than my own. I’ve been very distressed over the labels and misinformation given regarding immigration, asylum seekers, and the “undocumented.”

Even more, as a person of faith, I believe all people have intrinsic value and should be treated with the love and kindness Jesus displayed to the marginalized, which included the “alien” and “sojourner.”

In short, I am tired of feeling helpless and hopeless from the tsunami of bad news plastered on our phones and tv screens. However, instead of burying my head in the sand, I want to take action in a small, tangible way by raising support for World Relief.

World Relief is a Christian humanitarian organization that works with individuals and local churches to address humanitarian crises around the world. Some of the ways they accomplish this is by providing support to communities that have been displaced. They provide immigration legal services, education, employment, and economic opportunities.

However, due to the passing of (numerous) new bills by our current administration, World Relief has had to halt their services, putting the lives of refugees at risk as many wait in perilous conditions. The halt of this federal funding has also affected VETTED (already approved for entrance into the United States) refugees who have spent months and years coming through the proper channels to escape dangerous situations. These already-vetted refugees have been denied entrance.

This is unjust, unchristian, unbiblical, wrong.

Whether or not you hold to the same spiritual beliefs as me, I hope you will join me in supporting the continuance of services provided by organizations like World Relief as it affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. Only by donations from you and me are they able to continue their work.

What kind of nation do we want to be? My hope is that we will be known by how we welcome our neighbors, that we will be known by our love.