On February 13, the IRC in Atlanta’s staff, clients and volunteers joined more than 350 fellow advocates at the Georgia State Capitol for the seventh annual New Americans Celebration. Hosted by the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies (CRSA), the New Americans Celebration is the annual day of education and outreach for refugees, immigrants and Georgia community members who support them.
More than 350 advocates attended the seventh annual New Americans Celebration at the Georgia State Capitol on February 13, 2020.
Photo: Joseph McBrayer
With “Georgia Loves Refugees” and “Georgia Loves Immigrants” t-shirts and red bags spread throughout the Capitol all morning, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were able to engage with Georgia’s community of new Americans and hear their stories and contributions first-hand.
IRC Employment Specialist and NAC Team Lead, Laura Rudisell introduces her team to Representative Tom McCall.
Photo: Arvin Temkar
More than 350 attendees ensured that the CRSA 2019 Annual Report—which highlights the cultural, social, and economic contributions of refugees and immigrants in Georgia—was delivered to all 236 offices in the Georgia General Assembly. Participants also gifted lawmakers with homemade baklava from Sweet & Savory, a business owned by former refugee and IRC client, Abeer.
Attendees ensured that the CRSA 2019 Annual Report and a gift of homemade baklava were delivered to all 236 offices in the Georgia General Assembly.
Photo: Joseph McBrayer
In 2013, Abeer and her family fled Syria and spent time in Lebanon and Egypt before being welcomed to the United States in 2016 through the refugee resettlement program. After arriving in Georgia, Abeer worked with the IRC in Atlanta’s Microenterprise Development program to rebuild her dream of owning a food business and launched Sweet & Savory with her sister, Nora. Being wives, mothers and primary care takers is no easy task and they wanted to contribute to their families' success by doing what they love to do...cooking! They hope to one day run a commercial kitchen. For orders and inquiries, please send Abeer and Nora a message through the Sweet & Savory Facebook page.
Order delicious Syrian cuisine by Sweet & Savory for your next event
#TeamIRC joined fellow advocates from around the state for the seventh annual New Americans Celebration!
Photo: Arvin Temkar
Even though the legislature wasn't in session, New Americans Celebration attendees were able to meet with several elected officials from both parties and had many meaningful conversations throughout the morning. Please join us in thanking Representative Bee Nguyen and Representative Wes Cantrell for being our guest speakers and starting our morning training, and Senate Majority Leader, Mike Dugan, for joining us for our group photo and speaking with New Americans Celebration attendees.
Check out our official NAC20 photo album on Facebook
Senate Majority Leader, Mike Dugan, meets with members of the Burmese Rohingya Community of Georgia, including IRC Youth Futures alum, Mohammad Karim (far left).
Photo: Joseph McBrayer
The New Americans Celebration closed with a press conference to launch the CRSA 2019 Annual Report and hear from guest speakers Mohammad Karim, Justine Okello, Kurdeen Karim, and Maryan and Kemal Aytac, who shared their personal experiences of being welcomed to Georgia and the contributions they have made to our state as business owners, job creators, citizens, and students. The New Americans Celebration was covered by 11Alive, WABE (NPR) and The Associated Press.
Speakers Mohammad Karim, Justine Okello, Kurdeen Karim, and Maryan and Kemal Aytac shared their personal experiences of being welcomed to Georgia and the contributions they have made to our state as business owners, job creators, citizens, and students.
Photo: Arvin Temkar
The IRC in Atlanta is proud to be a founding member of the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies (CRSA). Sign up for CRSA Action Alerts to keep up to date on our advocacy work and future events. If you have questions please contact Communications Coordinator, Fiona Freeman, at Fiona.Freeman [at] Rescue.org.
To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Manager, Kalie Lasiter, at Kalie.Lasiter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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