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!

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Photo: IRC

Claudia (right): "Volunteering with the IRC makes every Monday a good Monday! My father was a refugee from Yugoslavia. He was a stowaway on a ship, and traveled long distances with no papers and very little belongings. I’m inspired by my father, and by all the people who helped him create a new life for himself here. I think about him when I volunteer at the IRC. My hope for the new year is to help other refugees, who are like my father, find hope – it’s hard to fully understand what lack of hope feels like until you’ve been there. My wish is to impart peace and hope in a refugee's life.”

Jen (left): “You always feel good when you come to the IRC and you always feel good when you leave. I have been fortunate enough to receive help from others when I needed it. I am in a position to give back now. Immigrant, refugee, and asylee rights are important to our family, and I wanted to turn belief into action. My hope for the new year is for refugees, immigrants and asylees feel that we are here for them and support them - that all IRC volunteers genuinely make them our priority.”

Thank you, Jen & Claudia, and to all of our amazing volunteers who are standing with us in 2018.

Interested in joining our team of volunteers? Click here to learn how!