It’s a beautiful day! The sun is out taking ownership of the blue, cloudless, Memphis skies. Just two more days until the 2014/2015 school year starts. Two more days to help make sure the remaining couple of struggling refugee families with children have the necessary school supplies they need to begin their first school day. While it isn’t the responsibility of Asha’s Refuge to be sure every needy family in the rather large refugee community receives a backpack filled with school supplies, our heart goes out to each family who expresses the need.

Asha’s Refuge tries to primarily give school supplies and other items of need throughout each year to those local refugee families that participate with Asha’s Refuge and are also enrolled. This means approximately 110 child or teen students. A families enrollment ensures to us that those we serve are in fact legitimate legal refugees, that they understand and agree to the rules and initiatives of the Asha’s Refuge organization and that they meet the requirements of our mission…to serve those that have various challenges that make it otherwise difficult for their successful resettlement. The refugees we serve meet one or more of the following criteria: are uneducated, are women with preschool children, have a physical challenge or disability, have little to no job skills, are widowed, are young adults vulnerable to human trafficking or are elderly.

We are looking forward to the new school year and can hardly believe it’s already another year. The Asha’s Refuge American Life and Language Classes will begin again August 14th. We’ve got lots of pens and pencils left from the school supply donations to help us with our weekly adult classes. Asha’s Refuge is truly blessed to have committed volunteers eager and ready to serve as teachers and mentors to the adult and preschool students that attend classes. We have or have had retired licensed teachers, nurses, retired businessmen and women, stay at home mothers, home schooled teens, artists, missionaries, foster parents, writers, youth groups, counselors, college interns, and even a retired school principal among our list of volunteers. Our volunteers seem to come with a heart wide open, seasoned, willing and eager to serve the least of the least of these in our community. Our volunteers are flexible, creative, teachable, incredibly patient, skilled and oh so giving of themselves. We are truly thankful for the help we receive from the community of volunteers we have. Thank you volunteers for making Asha’s Refuge what it is today. It’s God in you that shines.