Giving is an extraordinary act of kindness and generosity. We are excited to announce that on Friday, November 21, Liberty’s Lutheran Refugee Services in Central PA will be participating in the Extraordinary Give, Lancaster County’s Largest Day of Giving. On this day, every dollar you donate will be matched by a percentage of the $250,000 available from the Lancaster County Community Foundation! In other words, each donation received will increase our share of this bonus, which in turn will help support additional refugees in the Lancaster community.
Lutheran Refugee Services in Central PA, a program of Lutheran Children and Family Service and member of the Liberty Lutheran Family of Services, provides a wide range of refugee resettlement, employment/job training, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, immigration legal services, and community integration supports for the growing refugee population throughout Central Pennsylvania.
Your contribution will go towards the Lancaster Refugee Emergency Fund, which provides direct financial support to refugee families in need of emergency housing, utilities, transportation, or food/clothing assistance.
“Refugee” is a legal term given to anyone who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Currently, there are over 19 million refugees scattered throughout the world. Once forced to flee their homeland, refugees often gather in refugee camps waiting for an opportunity to return to their homes. Some remain isolated in these camps for months, years, and even generations, while others wander throughout neighboring countries, unable to be granted citizenship or sometimes even basic human rights. However, some refugees are granted legal admission into a country of refuge (such as the United States), and gradually rebuild their lives in a new nation. Over the last five years, Lutheran Refugee Services in Central PA has welcomed more than 800 newcomers to the Lancaster-area community from countries around the world!
Your contribution will go towards the Lancaster Refugee Emergency Fund, which provides direct financial support to refugee families in need of emergency housing, utilities, transportation, or food/clothing assistance.
If you prefer, you may also send a donation directly to our office at 123 E Vine Street Lancaster, PA 17602 or through our secure online giving page. Although please keep in mind that those contributions will not be eligible for matching funds that we otherwise receive if you donate through the Extraordinary Give website on Friday, November 21.
Thank you so much for your continued support. We are grateful to partner with you, as together we welcome these newcomers and help to ensure their successful transition into the community.
The Lutheran Children and Family Service Refugee Resettlement Program is a service of Liberty Lutheran and a local affiliate of the national Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which assists refugees and asylees through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State. Provided in collaboration with previously arrived relatives, co-sponsoring churches and organizations and individual volunteers, our refugee resettlement services are designed to create a smooth transition to life in the local community and to promote economic self-sufficiency. These services are made available to hundreds of refugees each year in the five-county Southeast Pennsylvania area, Lancaster County and in the Lehigh Valley area.
