November Partner Spotlight: For the Nations Refugee Outreach, Dallas TX

Each month this year, Amplio will be highlighting a different non-profit partner providing job preparation and job training within the refugee communities we serve. More than just words, we are committing to financially support the work of the partner we select each month and want you to join us! We will match every dollar given to the Amplio Foundation this month, up to $1000, in support of this month’s partner.

Our November partner of the month is For the Nations: Refugee Outreach.

For the Nations: Refugee Outreach is a 501c3 non-profit that serves refugees in Dallas, Texas. They offer a variety of educational programs to help refugees to thrive in their journey of adapting to life in the United States, including employment services.

We asked Welcome Team Coordinator, Michael Funderburk, to share about the impact they are making within the Dallas refugee community:

Tell us more about For the Nations—how is it funded, and what specific needs does it meet within the refugee community?

“For the Nations began organically several years ago when co-founder Kaitlyn Mullens began meeting the needs of her kindergarten students and their parents—all of whom were refugees. Kaitlyn noticed students coming to school without coats in the winter, or enough food for lunch. They were struggling with language, learning, and reading. She began meeting after school with them, once a week, to provide help for her struggling students.

Before long she was meeting with their parents one night a week as well. She and her husband, co-founder Cameron Mullens, realized that as refugees were being resettled further north from Vickery Meadows (an area of Dallas where refugees were most often resettled), they had less access to non-profits who could help them after their 3-6 months assistance with a resettlement agency ran out.

For the Nations became an official non-profit in 2011, and we are primarily funded through private donations.”

 

What is your favorite part about your job?

“I have two favorite parts: First is learning from my refugee friends. They teach me more about hospitality and honoring guests than I do them. They are so hardworking and committed to their families and friends. As a Christian, I see things that the church has always valued in their behavior toward one another: kindness, compassion, gentleness, and genuine care for others.

Second, a big part of my job is working with churches to train them to welcome new refugee families to Dallas. Making the case to churches as to why we should be welcoming the stranger taps into a deep sense of my purpose and calling.”

 

What is your organization’s biggest challenge?

“Communication. Communicating with clients is challenging since we are working with people from many cultures, all speaking different languages, and with different expectations and ideas about life in the U.S. It’s not always clear whether what we are saying is being understood and often times those things are quite important.

But we also face a challenge in communicating with Americans and volunteers. It is important to us that we clearly articulate the struggles that refugees face when coming to the United States, and why it’s part of the church’s mission to care about, and care for refugees. This can certainly be a challenge in our current culture, where refugees and immigration are a hot button issue.”

 

What was your organization’s biggest accomplishment last year?

“Last year we moved into our own building!

Since moving in, we are serving 30% more clients than before when we were leasing space.”

 

What is your biggest goal for the upcoming year?

“Our biggest goal is to improve our new facility so that we can serve at full-capacity. Plans include finishing our kitchen, playground, and adding more parking to our current lot.”

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We are proud to partner alongside For the Nations and support them in this great work. For the month of November, every donation made to the Amplio Foundation will be matched and given to help their worthy cause.

To learn more about For the Nations, visit their website at www.ftnro.org or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

To make a charitable donation, visit the Amplio Foundation page and follow these three easy steps:

1. Scroll down and click the Donate Now button.
2. Fill in the amount and payment information, as well as whether you would like for it to be a one-time gift or recurring donation.
3. Click the Give button and you’re done!

Thank you for partnering with us to support the refugee workforce.