Catholic Community Services of Utah is hosting an event to showcase the plight of refugees

Friday, Jun. 09, 2023

SALT LAKE CITY — To celebrate World Refugee Awareness Month, Catholic Community Services of Utah is hosting an event to showcase how the nonprofit organization serves those who are forced to flee their homes.

CCS is one of Utah’s two refugee resettlement agencies; the other is the International Rescue Committee. CCS has a number of other programs that help people in need, including the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City and the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden. 

The United Nations General Assembly declared June as  World Refugee Awareness Month in 2000; World Refugee Day is June 20. To mark that day, CCS’ Forced to Flee event will take place in Gallivan Plaza in Salt Lake City. The event will include two keynote speakers and information about ways individuals can serve Utah’s refugee community.

The event is meant to build awareness of the refugee situation worldwide and locally, said Aden Batar, director of CCS’ Migration and Refugee Services.

Those attending will also have the opportunity “to meet with those who do the day-to-day work with refugees,” Batar said. “Staff will explain the work they do with refugees and answer questions.” 

In addition, some refugees will share their stories at the event.

Over the years, CCS has resettled more than 30,000 refugees.

“CCS supports about 650 refugees a year,” Batar said. “They are coming from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Central Africa, Central American countries, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine and many other countries.” 

Many people are fleeing their countries due to wars, and “we need all the support we can get from our community to help these vulnerable refugees,” Batar said. “We welcome all the support we can get from our community, and ask their help in monetary donations, in-kind donations and volunteers to mentor refugee families.”

“The resettlement agency is the most important source of information and assistance during the refugees’ first months in the United States,” according to the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. “The resettlement agency ensures that refugees are welcomed at the airport; arranges for their housing, furniture and basic household supplies; conducts orientation; and prepares a resettlement plan, which includes referrals to social services and employment. … Refugees often flee their home countries because of conflict, ethnic cleansing, regime change, forced displacement, threats to themselves and their families, and other persecution. When they cross the border into a second country, they may integrate into an urban area, or live in camps, sometimes for years, even decades, before a durable solution is found for them,” the institute states. 

WHAT: Forced to Flee

WHEN: June 20, 4-8 p.m. 

WHERE: The Gallivan Center, 239 S Main St, Salt Lake City 

For information, visit https://www.ccsutah.org/forced-to-flee. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Maresha Bosgieter at mbosgieter@ccsutah.org or 801-428-1230.