Dear Friends,

Did you know the creator of Google was a Jewish refugee from the former Soviet Union?  His family resettled in the United States in 1979 when he was five years old.  The family fled persecution to come to America to live in freedom and without fear.  Can you imagine how many jobs have been created by this amazing young man? 

I am writing to you today because the House of Representatives has recommended substantial cuts to the refugee resettlement program.  The cuts would be immediate and devastating to many refugees and their families.  The cuts would drastically reduce the US refugee resettlement program, along with Kansas City resettlement efforts.  

Here in Kansas City, we have seen the positive benefits refugees bring to our community.  Just last year I attended a Northeast Chamber of Commerce event that celebrated the diversity of businesses in the Northeast area of our city.  The event was the "International Business Crawl" in which we received a "passport" and visited new businesses that have been established by the many different refugee groups who have made their home in Kansas City.  

JVS has witnessed the success of refugees and their families who have lived for decades in refugee camps without human rights or dignity.  They arrive in the United States and thrive.  Refugees are legal immigrants who usually become self-sufficient in a matter of months by finding jobs and learning English.  For the past several decades they have had a major positive impact on our communities' diversity by starting small businesses, purchasing homes and taking jobs that might otherwise go unfilled.   

The Senate will deliberate these cuts in the next two weeks. JVS urges you to lend your support to refugees and their families by contacting your senators.  Please call (202) 225-3121 the U.S. Capital Switchboard and you will be connected to their offices.

Thank you in advance for supporting refugees and their families.  They need our help, and they in turn, will help us.  Their entrepreneurial and "can-do" spirit is of great benefit to Kansas City and America! 

Joy Foster  

Executive Director