A 5k in February? 🥶
Well If you care about refugees and immigrants—but don't have time to walk, run, or protest for them—donate money and Jenn + Kara will do it for you instead.
Sit on your couch. Be warm. Donate money right here through this page.
And Jenn + Kara will huff, puff, and fog up their glasses because of their N95 masks as they walk alongside the refugees + immigrants that IRIS has helped and will keep helping.
We're being a little funny because we know we don't need to tell you what's at stake here. You have all the news apps we do. You know how f----n grim it is. You may even know that the current administration has cut $4,000,000 in federal aid to IRIS.
Out-of-state friends might ask: why help immigrants + refugees in Connecticut? Immigrants + refugees don’t come to Connecticut—they come to the USA. We just happen to be one of the places they start over. When you give, you’re supporting that new beginning—you're supporting people.
Kara + Jenn have been proud to participate in the Run for Refugees since 2017...Kara even did the walk twice without Jenn because she's a freakin superstar. Here's some information about IRIS so you can feel really good about letting us freeze 'n sweat in February:
IRIS helps close to 2,000 refugees and immigrants each year. During the pandemic, IRIS helped more than 120 refugees and immigrants find work, provided $200,000 in rental assistance, taught students English, art, and music, helped adults with immigration legal needs, and fed 300+ families per week with essential groceries from our food pantry.
The mission of IRIS is to enable refugees, immigrants, and other displaced people to establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities. Refugees are men, women and children who fled their countries of origin due to persecution on the basis of their race, nationality, religious belief, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Currently, IRIS’s clients come from Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and other countries. IRIS provides families with housing, food, clothing, and services such as education, English training, job preparation and placement, health care, and immigration legal aid.
