Governor Snyder designated this week a welcoming week for immigrants to celebrate the economic and cultural assets they bring to Michigan. For decades, St. Vincent Catholic Charities has been working to resettle refugees from all over the world to Lansing, and now they prepare to welcome a number of Syrians. That's this week's Neighbors in Action segment.
Every Wednesday on Current State we bring you Neighbors in Action, a look at an area organization working to make Greater Lansing a better place. St. Vincent Catholic Charities has been helping refugees resettle in Lansing since the 1970's. To date, more than 17,000 refugees have been resettled in the area. For the past few years, St. Vincent has averaged resettlement of approximately 600 refugees a year. Next year, they are being asked to accept closer to 700 refugees, including a number of Syrians seeking a safe place to live.
Current State talks with Judi Harris, refugee resettlement director at St. Vincent Catholic Charities, and Aya Turki, case manager at St. Vincent and a Tunisian refugee.
Current State is looking for more nominations for our “Neighbors In Action” feature. Please help us out and e-mail us your suggestions to currentstate@wkar.org. Put ‘Neighbors in Action’ in the subject line. Or tweet us: @KARCurrentState and tell us a little about why you think they should be featured for the great work they do.