Local High School Offers Support to Refugees in their Community

Despite the rain and chilly weather, students at Crescenta Valley High School participated in a Walk-a-Thon in late January to raise funds for refugees and asylees assisted by the IRC. This is the second year they have hosted a fundraising event to support the IRC. Amber McLeod, a history teacher at Crescenta Valley High, teaches a unit on refugee issues. She decided to engage students outside of the classroom; “I [wanted] to marry the curriculum with community service,” she explained.
 
Ms. McLeod also serves as the faculty advisor for an IRC Club at the school. In collaboration with the IRC, they will be organizing fundraising events throughout the year to further support the agency’s programs and services. These students are also gathering items such as toiletries, bus tokens, and maps of Los Angeles in order to create welcome baskets for newly arrived refugees in dire need of such items.

At the Walk-a-Thon, IRC Club members encouraged students to write letters offering a warm welcome to refugees resettling in Los Angeles. Students offered encouraging words and personal advice to their new neighbors.