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Two of our outstanding administrative volunteers share their hopes for the new year and why they devote time every week to help make refugees welcome in Washington.

Raffi Gostanian came to the United States from Syria 15 years ago on a student visa. A jazz musician who plays the saxophone and piano, he intended to study music but graduated with a political science degree from William Paterson University. As a front desk volunteer at ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ for the last 10 months, Raffi has diligently trekked twice a week from Paterson, home to a large Arab community, to ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s office in Elizabeth.

̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Silver Spring partnered with Montgomery College at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Volunteer Fair to connect students with volunteer opportunities in their community.

Sammiah Ebadi has been volunteering with the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Denver office for 6 months. An immigrant herself, Sammiah has found meaning and pride in helping others who have resettled in the United States.

Through the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Oakland’s varied volunteer opportunities, individuals are able to share their unique experience and expertise directly with the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡'s refugee and asylee clients in the Bay Area. We currently operate several highly effective programs designed to meet a variety of refugee and asylee newcomers' needs.

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Richmond hosted a volunteer appreciation event to honor the volunteers who show an incredible amount of dedication in supporting newcomers around Richmond.

April 15-21 is National Volunteer Week. See how the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡'s Texas offices celebrated their volunteers this year!

April is National Volunteer Month, where we honor the generous volunteers in our communities who make our work possible! Tommy Thompson is a dedicated mentor in the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Tallahassee’s volunteer-led Youth program which helps middle-and high-school refugee students learn English and better adjust to their new home.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer or intern with the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Phoenix! Offering your time and talents enriches the mission and scope of our efforts, empowering those we serve to more effectively rebuild their lives in Arizona. Whether in working directly with refugees or providing support behind the scenes, your contributions are valuable and appreciated by our staff and those we impact.

Judy Denison has been volunteering with the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Denver for many years, but she has supported refugees for much longer. She works to serve her community through collaborative, mutually-empowering relationships.