Category: Uncategorized

Motivate to move… let’s connect and make new friends with people from all over the world as we enjoy a day at the park and are motivated to move through fun, memorable field day activities. We need small groups of two or more to host a station for kids and/or teens to participate in fun activities. This is a great activity to bring your family (of course, children are welcome). Are you willing to be a group to handle bringing a grill, hot dogs and buns and grill for us? We need some take charge kind of people to help make this event a great one for our clients who are eager to get out of their home, play at the park and meet new friends. See more details below:

This year is our 8th year of baking for a cause. A spin off of our Cookies for a Cause previous years of baking for a cause we bring to you this years Homemade Baked Breads. We will need help from our community of talented bakers. To sign up to preorder a loaf of bread or to sign up to help us bake breads click on the appropriate links below!

Questions: Email madison@ashasrefuge.org or jamie@ashasrefuge.org

With everything going on in our world today regarding the displacement of people the immigration discussions are heightened. We’ve realized so many people are just unfamiliar with the US various processes of legal entry and may initially react out of fear or in their lack of understanding. Millions of people around the world are fleeing their homes because of fear brought on because of war, persecution, famine or natural disaster that leave them no opportunity for finding a safe place to restart their life. Most of us here in America, just cannot grasp what this may feel like and make assumptions based on our own experiences and truths that may be distorted by stereotypes, fears and a media with an unhealthy and unbalanced agenda.

We believe it is the responsibility of the Big C Church to show love to ALL others. While we cannot solve all the worlds problems, we can, one person at a time show kindness, respect and love. Our clients are legal and have often faced years of persecution and fear beating all odds to make it to our city to try and start their life over. Once they arrive, they still face a myriad of challenges that keep them held back from being successful. This is one reason why Asha’s Refuge works to assist newcomers. We have seen the good God has placed in people and want to shine a light on that good for all to see.

Recently, our local resettlement agency’s director (World Relief) put out a letter letting the public know about their need to pull back and not do immigration legal services. Their decision to do this does not mean they are not still activity going to be involved in encouraging newcomers in the city of Memphis. From what we understand, they are still going to be helpful in various ways, but are just not able to handle that particular department right now. It is important to know, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee also recently closed their Immigration Services Department. Refugees and Asylees may be a little anxious about this. Please know that Asha’s Refuge is still here to help as we are able.

In partnership with Community Legal Services, Asha’s Refuge will continue to make ourselves available to assist refugees and approved asylees with the various immigration forms and documents that need to be updated and completed. We are always working to prepare our team of volunteers and partners to do our very best at helping to fill the gaps that may be experienced by our clients. For an appointment, please contact us at 901-500-9200 or jamie@ashasrefuge.org. You may also download our app at https://pushpay.com/get?handle=ashasrefuge&source=external or “like” our Facebook Page to stay up to date.

Our next, Next Generation Educational Program is currently open for students to apply.  This program enables adults between the ages of 18 to about 30 with obtaining their High School Diploma. The program also includes basic life skills, job skills, computer skills, financial literacy, English communication, and drivers safety and education which we believe are imperative for our clients to learn.  The Campaign is to hep raise only a portion ($6000) of the $25,000 needed to allow five clients to go through the program.  The cost helps to cover course fees, educational supplies, transportation help, drivers ed costs, graduation costs, organizationl office equipment and supplies used for this program and administrative oversight.

This program is specifically designed with the practical needs of our Next Gen aged clients in mind.  Asha’s Refuge serves the needs of our multi-cultural urban community through family services, training and Christ-centered leadership.  The Next Gen Ed program falls in line with our mission to help the refugee and asylee community successfully resettle within the Memphis area.  Having a high school diploma means better job opportunities and maybe better pay.  It helps clients to learn the skills necessary to get through life.  We believe it also opens doors for generations forward.

Students are selected in this program on a first come, first serve basis as our funds allow, but must also meet the eligibility requirements of the program.  Email jamie@ashasrefuge.org for a list of these requirements.

You can participate with helping us send our next five students through this program by helping us to raise the funds necessary to begin our 2020/2021 Next Gen Ed Program.  If your group is willing to partner with us to host bake sales or fundraise in other ways towards this unique program, please contact us at serve@ashasrefuge.org.

Here is a link to donate TODAY and help us raise a portion of our funds needed for our upcoming 2020/2021 Next Gen Education program.

https://pushpay.com/g/ashasrefuge?fnd=c72_WNMhKioxBgrDBd3AeA&fndv=lock

If you didn’t get to celebrate with us last night, October 5, 2019, you really missed a wonderful evening. The past year and about 4 months has been a long hard road for five Next Gen clients at Asha’s Refuge who worked hard to earn their High School Education. Each student had their own set of challenges that tried to pull them away from their goal to graduate, but each student prevailed. Our staff and volunteers have grown close to these Next Gen students in particular because we’ve spent so much time getting to know them, encouraging them, crying with them, pushing them, building them up and just walking through life with each of them. We see see just how important this Next Generation is to the success of their entire community reaching even higher goals. These students are eager and ready to be examples to their siblings, to their friends and to their world around them. They already have been role models and we very much admire them.

They did not only graduate High School but they gained certificates passing basic life, English communication, and computer skills, financial literacy and even drivers education. Please congratulate our (Asha’s) first Next Gen Ed High School Graduates (Adult Grads): Vivian, Honorine, Sundus, Samson and Haddy. Each of these students will be moving on to college. Some have already begun this step. Asha’s is praying for you and your families and we will continue to be here to be a friend of encouragement. We are so, so thankful to our volunteers, staff and supporters for helping to make this dream a reality for our five graduates.

It is so rewarding for us to be a part of making a dream come true for a family hoping to have their own house here in the US. This family (sorry no faces allowed) worked hard to save and are so happy to be moving into their new home the end of October.

Thanks to Advantage Properties and those volunteers and staff who have helped to strengthen this family and make their dream a reality.

The work of Asha’s Refuge is deeply human work and you can play a part of building hope and restoring the lives of vulnerable families. Asha’s Refuge serves the needs of our multi-cultural urban community through family services, training and Christ-centered leadership.

Our ability to continue services is dependent on the generosity of private grants, churches, businesses and individual donors. Without your support we could not love and provide services to our community as well as we do.

Please consider making your donation today.

Today, you can help make a difference.

https://pushpay.com/pay/ashasrefuge

People are often confused about us and ask what exactly does your nonprofit do?! It’s true, our services to our clients are many.  We find it easiest to think of Asha’s Refuge more of a family services type organization that helps to connect clients to those more cultural friendly organizations that offer a friendly atmosphere of wrap around services in our community.  Our services also include client advocacy, mentoring and a variety of classes necessary to increase the specific skills needed to reach goals a client has chosen for themselves.  Over the last month, this has been what our staff’s days have been like:

• We’ve had two children at LeBonheur who had surgeries, one a heart surgery, and Asha’s Refuge was there with their parents who are in a new country in need of support.  The local hospitals were super glad to also have our help with translation and advocacy on surgery day.
• We were with a mother who had colon cancer removed after a long surgery. Another mother has a neck mass that is being looked at the West Clinic and we are working to help her.
• We have provided transportation for about 40-50 people this month who were needing rides to their new job, the doctor, the grocery store or a class.
• Our team traded off for two days, around the clock, helping a pregnant mother with a baby that was in bit of distress.  The mother finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  Our team helped the mother with translation services, mentoring and partnered with a local hospital to provide care to this family in need.
• We went grocery shopping for 2 to 3 large families who were struggling to provide food for their children.
• We helped 3 elderly newcomers get the medical treatment that was necessary for them to stay out of a medical crisis situation.
• We assisted several preschoolers with their enrollment for the first time in American schools which included working through a lot of paperwork and immunization doctor appointments.
• We enrolled teens into an international High School that will help to educate them with excellence.
• Five Next Gen aged young adults have recently completed their High School diploma, Basic Computer, Financial Literacy, Drivers ed and Life Skills program and will have a ceremony October 5th to celebrate their success.
• We have helped to enroll six clients in college, two of which started this current college Fall Semester.
• We have held American life and English conversation classes for 20-30 adults.
• A group of preschoolers are learning English vocabulary, social skills, good manners and being prepared for Kindergarten in a program that exemplifies Jesus’s love and is designed just for them two days a week.
• We have helped over twenty people locate and apply for jobs with about 95% success at landing a new job.
• We have mentored several young moms and a dozen teenagers lifting them up to reach harder and higher to work towards achieving their goals.
• About 12-20 clients have recently received their permanent resident cards after completing a list of requirements outlined for them by USCIS. Asha’s helps clients understand and complete forms, helps with medical screenings and connects them to partnering legal teams.
• One client gained their US Naturalization just this week after our help studying with them for the US Government, Civics and History.  We are thankful for community partners and volunteers that help to make this a reality for a client that has worked hard to get to this day of celebration.

What do we do?  We push ourselves as hard as we can to help others in their time of need as we believe Jesus would do.  We want others to know they are not alone in a new place, they are invited in and welcomed, they are valued and most of all they are loved. Our mission is to see our clients achieve a successful resettlement which means they are thriving physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually in their new home here in America.  Often our clients are in a sense, orphans without a home country to call their own.  When they go through the correct legal documentation processes to move far away to a new country in an effort to start their life anew, we want to embrace their US approved adoption full fold which means we will have open hearts and a warm “welcome home” for them.

Asha’s Refuge offers support and defends the rights of local under privilege refugees through community and client education thereby reducing any overall negative impact on the unprepared local government, city, business, school and/or neighborhood dealing with an influx of culturally diverse group of people. We believe all people should be given the opportunity to be encouraged and educated which therefore builds character, self-esteem, allows for jobs success, helps to reduce crime, keeps individuals self-sufficient (not dependent upon government welfare assistance programs) and overall offers hope to families which will lead generations forward on a victorious path of success.

We provide instruction in a caring, safe and healthy learning environment, responsive to each student, in collaboration with families and the community. Our clients are taught to embrace diversity, act responsibly and contribute to their community.  Asha’s Refuge is a local nonprofit that serves refugees and asylees in our community by providing a variety of family services and training to clients who need practical assistance to resettle successfully.  We provide a loving and safe environment that examples the love of Christ and develop relationships that open opportunities for us to share our love for Jesus to people who have not heard truth about Him.  All of our clients are in the US legally and have appropriate documents. We help provide classes for language and life skills, citizenship preparation, job skills, computer skills, ACT tutoring, as well as individual services such as assistance with medical appointments, enrolling in college, transportation to appointments, assistance in crisis situations, mentoring new mothers, and many other ways.

We are currently in need of regular committed funding to meet our rather low annual operational budget of $168,000 growing to $187,000.  With 3,000 churches in Memphis, perhaps each one would consider donating $55 to help us meet our annual budget need. We would also meet our budget if 260 people agreed to give $50 every month.  I like to break down funding and think of it these ways to show myself and others just how reachable this is when Gods people come together to help one another. With God all things are possible.  Our organization is not government funded but funded by donors who have like-minded hearts.  We very much need financial support to help us continue making the impact we are making in our community of need. It’s so simple to send us a one-time donation or a recurring donation through our PushPay link below.  Please, will you consider donating today?  Many of our clients have been neglected for too long.  We owe it them to sweep away the barriers to greater learning and support them as they forge their own future.

https://pushpay.com/pay/ashasrefuge

Have a gift in fundraising and developement?  We are currently looking for volunteers to serve with us.  Contact us at serve@ashasrefuge.org.

Come have a taste of the nations with us, celebrate successes and respectfully reflect and respond to our clients as they remember their journey to rebuild their life. Bring a dish to share! Let us know you are coming. If you are able to help serve with us at this event email us at serve@ashasrefuge.org.

Asha’s Refuge is a faith based thriving nonprofit that provides an engaging atmosphere for diverse clients, volunteers and staff. We are seeking an exceptional person to fill the critical position of Executive Assistant. The successful candidate will have had previous executive level administration experience, have compassion, be creative, be fast at solving problems, and possess an ability to manage a variety of tasks for our team such as typing professional correspondence, creating flyers and reports, organizing schedules, completing forms, answering the telephone and greeting visitors. To do this role properly, the candidate should also have a detailed understanding of Microsoft Office and Google suite, Publisher, Power Point, Adobe, copier, fax and scanner systems, be able to help manage social media, coordinate a variety of projects and on occasion make travel arrangements. Someone with basic digital imaging and content management skills are preferred. Someone that speaks both Spanish and English would be helpful to our organization but not necessarily required. The position is part time 28-32 hrs a week and may become full time and permanent at the discretion of management. Location is Bartlett area off HWY 14. For additional information about the position or how to apply, please send your resume to us at serve@ashasrefuge.org