Posted: February 23rd, 2010 James Willamor

Around 200 refugees celebrated birthdays and friendships at the fourth annual Refugee Support Services birthday party. Myers Park United Methodist hosted the event, which was rescheduled from January to Feb. 20.

Parents looked on as children played carnival games and enjoyed a magic show by “Magic Mike” Hinton. Volunteers from the Sports Outreach Institute also lead children in group games in the gymnasium.

The participating refugees are Burmese and Montagnards, an indigenous people from Vietnam.  North Carolina is home to the largest Montagnard population outside of Vietnam.

“Many refugees, because they do not know the month or day of their birth, are assigned the birthday of ‘January 1’ when they enter the UN refugee camps,” says Rachel Humphries, director of Refugee Support Services of the Carolinas.

The birthday party was also a time for refugees to bond with their “fruitful friends. The Fruitful Friendships program pairs refugee families with American families to help refugees adjust to their new home and thrive in the U.S.

Ashley Morkis and her husband Taylor have been a part of the Fruitful Friendship program for two months. “I’m excited,” says Morkis. “They just want a friend, someone on their side. They don’t ask for anything. They are a very giving people.”

The Morkis family spends each Friday afternoon with their refugee family, delivering some fresh fruit, looking at photo albums, and helping the refugees practice English. Wes Bobbitt Photography was on hand to take portraits of the refugees with their Fruitful Friend families.

In addition to the annual birthday party and the Fruitful Friendships program, Refugee Support Services of the Carolinas help refugee families assimilate in our community through training that includes self sufficiency classes and learning to speak English.

Tweet

Previous Page