Worthington UMC and St. John's Episcopal Church are again partnering with
Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) to welcome a refugee or immigrant family. Please fill out this form indicating how you would like to help. Pastor Dom Short Mejia will connect with you to offer next steps as more information becomes available. We anticipate welcoming the family in October or November.
There are several ways to get involved:
The Welcome Team - This group of volunteers will help prepare the families apartment, greet them at the airport, and spend about 6 months developing relationships with the family to support their transition to living in Columbus. This may involve things like helping the family make appointments, assisting them in navigating school enrollments and doctor's visits, or working with them in improving English language skills.
Cash Donations - We will be responsible for providing $1500 in rental assistance for the family. Additional cash donations may be used to provide a meal from a local restaurant when they arrive, to purchase missing items from the Welcome Kit, to purchase seasonally appropriate clothes, or to purchase staples for the family's pantry.
In-kind Donations - We will be responsible for providing a Welcome Kit with essential items for the family. In addition, it may be helpful to collect seasonally appropriate clothing, non-perishable food items, and home furnishings. We will know more about what is appropriate to collect soon.
Other Resources and Skills - Do you have a truck you're willing to use to move things into an apartment? Are you familiar with the processes for enrolling children in school? Do you have experience teaching English as a Second Language? Are you familiar with the food pantries in Columbus and willing to help the family use them? If you have special resources or skills that you're willing to provide upon request, please check the box marked "Other" and indicate what these resources or skills are.
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Dom at dominic@worthingtonumc.com. He will be in contact regarding your selection as more information becomes available. Thank you for showing hospitality to our soon-to-be new neighbors!