Announcement
Airbnb and IRC volunteers lend a hand to New Roots
The IRC in Oakland’s New Roots program offers a sense of place and belonging for refugees new to the East Bay. So it was a fitting program for hospitality tech company Airbnb to support through a recent volunteer day. Twenty Airbnb volunteers learned about the plight and resilience of refugees, how the IRC and New Roots support them to build a new home in the United States before getting their hands dirty with garden maintenance projects, including weeding, planting tomatoes, composting, picking ready-to-eat kale and preparing a butterfly garden. In addition to volunteering, Airbnb made a $2,500 donation to support the New Roots program in Oakland.
Denis Lemschenko, an Airbnb employee, felt the connection between global and local throughout the day. “One of my favorite aspects of being at Airbnb is the world feeling like a small community when viewed daily through the lens of our mission and through the nature of our work. IRCs work is a humbling example of a community, and working at the garden gave me a much more personal way of making a contribution to my local, yet global community.”
The IRC in Northern California recognizes the importance of building a community around refugee clients, and engaging local companies is part of that work. Beyond the New Roots garden, the IRC offers engagement opportunities for corporate groups that support refugees to find jobs, learn English, and become citizens. “What an awesome crew!” said Deepa Iyer, the IRC in Oakland’s New Roots Program Manager, who led the day. “The Airbnb team was enthusiastic and up-for-anything. It’s always fun to share my passion for this work, especially with such hard-working volunteers. On top of that, their financial support of New Roots will help us continue to serve refugees with food security, nutrition, and gardening programming.”
"Working in the IRC’s New Roots Garden brought to life at the local level the value and impact of our broader global partnership. We learned so much from Deepa and Sara who took time to explain the history of the program and how meaningful this garden is to the families who utilize it on a regular basis," said Kellie Bentz, another Airbnb employee.
This was the first volunteer and funding partnership between Airbnb and the IRC in Oakland, and we look forward to many more. Thank you, Airbnb for making refugees welcome!
Interested in learning more about how your company can partner with the IRC? Contact Maggie Hicks, Development Manager at 510.852.8920.
