Sponsor a Refugee Family through Welcome Corps!

Hello! We are fundraising to bring a refugee family to the U.S. via Welcome Corps.

Welcome Corps launched in 2023 and is a federal initiative led by the State Department that allows everyday Americans to sponsor refugees and provide a safe, legal pathway for refugees to come to the United States. A refugee is a person forced to flee their country because of violence or persecution.

Through Welcome Corps, this an opportunity for us - and our families and friends who support us - to bring a family that is seeking safety and opportunity to the United States. Many refugees spend years - the average is 20 years - with refugee status, often living in refugee camps or settlements that provide limited opportunity for one to realize their full potential. Only about 1% of refugees have the opportunity to move to a country like the United States. Through Welcome Corps, we have the opportunity provide a safe, legal pathway to a refugee family. All refugees entering the U.S. from a third country are screened by the U.S. government prior to arrival.

Based on Welcome Corps' guidance, we need to raise $2,500 per family member to sponsor a family. Our goal is to support at least a family of 5 and we have set the goal to raise $20,000 to ensure that the family has adequate support to become settled and self-sufficient. This ensures that we are adequately prepared to support a family in finding their first home (security deposit, rent for the first few months), furnishing the apartment, and supporting a family with their basic needs (food, clothing, etc.) as they settle into their new community.

Will you consider a donation to support our efforts in sponsorship? Your donation will be used to cover the costs for supporting a family to settle in Minnesota. If we raise more than we need, we will donate the remaining to a general pool at Alight that supports sponsorship.

Members of the sponsorship group include: Stacy Barnes, DJ Barnes, Annie Bosick, Kayla Casavant, Jeff and Lisa Diebel, Karen Slaght, Matt Norton and Jane Stockman, and Eva Zwedie and family.