Utah Nonprofit Association meeting with presentation boards.
The IRC in Salt Lake City participated in the Utah Nonprofit Association's 12th annual Nonprofit Day on the Hill providing educational materials for legislators.
Photo: Tatjana Andrews/IRC

On February 7th, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City joined 39 other non-profits across the valley for the Utah Nonprofits Association 12th Annual Nonprofit Day on the Hill. Representatives from each organization filled the Utah State Capitol’s rotunda, ready to educate legislators and other State Capitol visitors about their organizations and showcase the depth of Utah’s nonprofit sector.

Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox kicked off the morning by welcoming all the organizations and sharing the importance of the work that nonprofits do in our communities. Day on the Hill participants were also recognized in both the State House and Senate by Representative Mike Winder and Senator Derek Kitchen respectively.

IRC staff attend Utah Nonprofit Association day and take photos with Utah House and Senate representatives.
Tatjana Andrews (left), community & civic engagement coordinator, and Martha Drake Reeves (right), grants manager, met with a number of Utah House and Senate representatives, including Senator Derek Kitchen.
Photo: Tatjana Andrews/IRC

Tatjana Andrews, community & civic engagement coordinator, and Martha Drake Reeves, grants manager, spent the day sharing information about the IRC’s mission and the breadth of programming and services provided for New Americans in Salt Lake City. They met with a few legislators including Senator Kitchen, Representative Jennifer Dailey-Provost, and Representative Mark Strong, sharing the continued efforts of theIRC’s services despite the current state of refugee resettlement. From discussing the New American Voter Engagement initiatives that started in the fall of 2019 to conversations about our homeownership down payment assistance and health empowerment programs, a number of representatives from both sides of the aisle took a moment to learn more and speak to their experiences welcoming refugees in our community.

The IRC in Salt Lake City is grateful to be part of state with so many nonprofits that are serving their communities and using their voices to advocate and educate our local legislators. We are also grateful for the opportunity to meet our local representatives and provide crucial educational materials about refugees in our community.

You can support our efforts to educate legislators and advocate on behalf of refugees and refugee resettlement by visiting Rescue.org/Act.