RSS and ourBRIDGE Collaborating for Good!
Collaborating for GOOD! "We hope that more organizations will be able to do this!" - Directors of RSS and ourBRIDGE
Refugee Support Services, a human services nonprofit organization that supports refugees, asylees, special immigrants, and humanitarian parolees has moved in alongside ourBRIDGE for KIDS, a nonprofit that provides academic and socio-emotional support to refugee and immigrant children and their families. They now work together under the generous roof of another nonprofit, Aldersgate, which opened its doors and offered to share its underutilized space for good. (All for $1/year rent. What an incredible gift from Aldersgate!)
RSS and ourBRIDGE have always been mission aligned and are thrilled about the opportunity to further share resources and create a central hub where people can access them.
Imagine opportunities and resources like these for refugee and immigrant neighbors as well as the greater Charlotte community under one roof:
- Early morning preschool preparation
- A help desk to get support for any need including document understanding, community navigation, and referral for services
- Adult services such as workforce development, friendship and mentoring matching, and specialized workshops
- After-school care, tutoring, clubs and social events for kids
- Evening ESL classes for adults
- Food distribution
ourBRIDGE and RSS have big dreams to share more than just the building. This move is not a merger but rather an opportunity to uphold each others’ values, missions, growth, and impact. RSS and ourBRIDGE do this by sharing resources and expertise more intentionally as well as simplifying accessibility with the neighbors their organizations work alongside.
To celebrate 🎉 this excellent news, they are planning a big party on Saturday, June 18th in observance of World Refugee Day. Please save the date and check out the details in the image below or the Facebook Event Page.
Did you know?
- Since October, NC has welcomed 586 people from 21 countries like Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Burma
- Additionally, NC has welcomed humanitarian parolees from Afghanistan and Ukraine fleeing from recent humanitarian crises
- Inside of our CMS Student population, 33% of kids (that's around 46,000) speak a language other than English at home and represent more than 170 countries worldwide. And, of those languages spoken at home, there are at least 204!