2025 marks 30 years of Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) serving as a beacon of welcome in Central Ohio. We are simultaneously reflecting on three decades of service and preparing for the challenges of an uncertain present, but we remain future-focused and committed to continuing this work for decades to come. 

Over the course of this year, we will ask our community to join us in laying the foundation for an Enduring Welcome as we establish the Enduring Welcome Fund. Our team will use this fund to respond to the challenges we know are headed our way, and it will build our capacity to adapt to rapidly evolving community needs.

The first step will be an immediate 100-day fundraising push in which CRIS supporters, staff, and volunteers will become fundraisers. A volunteer-led effort in 2017 helped to raise over $100,000 in 100 days to keep CRIS afloat after severe cuts to the US Refugee Resettlement Program, and our goal is to replicate that effort.

Events throughout 2025 will spotlight the past 30 years of welcome and our hopes for the future of this community work. With your help, we can celebrate the lasting contributions of refugees and immigrants while ensuring CRIS remains a vital resource for another 30 years and beyond.