Share-A-Meal Program
a Success!

The Welcome to America Project Share-A-Meal with a refugee family has been a tremendous boost to our neighbors in need. While you could not share a meal physically with refugees, you certainly did so virtually. So far, we have shared more than 250 twenty-dollar gift cards with refugee families, partnering with resettlement agencies, ethnic community based organizations (ECBOs) and Valencia Newcomer School to make sure families are supported during their temporary unemployment setbacks. With most refugee first jobs in service industry settings, sudden unemployment is widespread among refugees. Sharing meals with refugees has certainly closed the social distance and nourished families nutritionally and spiritually. All Share-A-Meal cards are a result of donations. Thanks for sharing, kind community. Yes, we are all a part of the welcome and can be quite helpful during temporary setbacks on the journey to self sufficiency. 

Click here to see local media about our efforts and click here to share a meal!
The Welcome to America Projects was fortunate to partner with Scottsdale Leadership @scottsdaleleadership and Class 34 on a unique refugee literacy initiative. Scottsdale Leadership helps people focus on their ability to give back to the community, teaching the ideal of Servant Leadership and Community Trusteeship. For WTAP, the group is promoting literacy in three ways:

  • sharing multicultural and multilingual books with the refugee community including some in partnership with Southwest Human Development @swhdaz from whom Scottsdale Leadership also received "little libraries"
  • obtaining more than 500 thumb drives to load with educational support and distribute through our partner, PCs for Refugees
  • holding several fundraising efforts including corporate gifts and a future wine tasting

You can view below their virtual class presentation to learn more about the group and their impact. You can also contribute to the legacy of this project by sharing multicultural books and/or funding the project through donations. Just $20 can provide a loaded thumb drive that enhances literacy for a refugee family. Thank you Scottsdale Leadership. We are all a part of the welcomes including those who are trained to lead!
Mentorship Programs Support Local Refugees

The Welcome to America Project has a partnership with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) @chicanosporlacausa in which we employ young mentees from their Refugee Youth Mentorship Program. Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) @lutheran-social-services-of-the-southwest a similar program. We recently chatted with Aubrey Held, Youth Refugee Manager, of CPLC and Michelle Buttrum, Education Coordinator, of LSS SW about their program goals and ways that you can get involved. 

The goal of the CPLC Youth Refugee Mentoring Program is to promote positive civic and social engagement and support individual education and vocational advancement. To accomplish their goals, youth will be matched with a positive adult mentor/case manager who will provide the youth with personalized interaction. Youth will be provided case management to support their education and career development. The program is funded by the Arizona Department of Economic Security - Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program. The Youth Refugee Mentoring Program can serve eligible beneficiaries ages 16-24 who are within their first five years in the United States. Eligible beneficiaries are defined as refugees, amerasians, asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, special immigrant visa holders and victims of human trafficking.

To continue reading, please click here.
Join WTAP and Heartbeats @heartbeatsaz for a virtual concert to help refugee families during the COVID-19 crisis. “Music Feeds the Soul” will be a free, live-streamed concert on June 11th to raise awareness of WTAP’s mission and to support our refugee friends. 

Riley Novak, a student volunteer at WTAP, is organizing the fundraising event. “I’m hoping to feed a family every day for the rest of June and July. About 60 families is our goal.”

Riley, a rising-senior at Arizona School for the Arts @azschoolforarts , originally intended the event to be in-person, but quickly shifted plans as needed. She is handling all aspects of the fundraiser, including promotion, registration, technology and may even perform in the event as well. Anyone can participate including bands, groups, individuals - anyone with a passion for music and helping those disproportionately affected by this crisis.

“It’s really nice to put my efforts into something I really care about,” said Riley. “Music connects with any age group and brings unity”.

Riley, a musician herself, plays the French horn, piano and sings in a choir - she even plays a little ukulele. After high school, Riley plans to go to college to study political science and eventually attend law school to specialize in immigration law or human rights. 

“Using my experiences with Welcome to America and refugees, I want to influence and affect change."

The concert is free, but viewers are encouraged to donate $20 to WTAP to help provide a meal to a refugee family. Donations can be made at the WTAP website (note "Music Feeds the Soul" on your donation). 

Performers need to register by June 7th, by completing an information form and sending in a video. More information can be found on heartbeatsaz.org or by emailing heartbeatsaz@gmail.com.
Riley, Heather and Claire Novak volunteering at the WTAP Open House in February.
WTAP 2019
Annual Report
525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? Well, we did our best in the attached annual report and yes, RENT fans, it is filled with love. In one sentence, this is what we really want to say: “In 2019, we were a community together who welcomed refugees in ways that changed our hearts and theirs, shared resources and enhanced refugee paths to self-sufficiency.” We, means you, our donors, volunteers and partners - - Thank you! Read all about it in the Annual Report! Special thanks to photographers Sabine, Paula and Ottilie with an added thank you to Ottilie for graphic design. We are all a part of the welcomes and sometimes we summarize how.

Click here to view WTAP 2019 Annual Report.
New Safety Guidelines for WTAP Volunteers & Staff

As we prepare to have limited volunteer shifts at our warehouse, WTAP has developed a list of guidelines for all volunteers and employees to follow to ensure the safety of the volunteers, staff and refugees. Smaller shifts of volunteers will be needed in the months ahead, and we ask as volunteers sign up, please keep in mind our new guidelines for volunteering. We thank you for your continued support of WTAP and the refugees we serve!

 Click here to review new guidelines.

URGENT NEEDS

Our urgent needs have changed as we are seeing limited welcomes in the months ahead. New "Kit Lists" have been created to meet the urgent needs of our refugee friends. Please consider donating a kit or individual items for a kit. Click on the kit list below for a full list of needed items.



We will soon release a schedule and guidelines for donating bicycles, computers and computer accessories, critical needs for refugee employment and educational pursuits. Please put such soon-to-be-donated items aside and watch for announcements regarding collection in the coming weeks.


So, can you sew?Face masks Needed


The International Rescue Committee (IRC) @rescueorg is looking for sewing volunteers who would be interested in making face masks that can be provided to refugees. If you are interested, please click here for more information. Thank you!
World Refugee Day Arizona will take place virtually June 20th, celebrating the rich contributions of refugees to Arizona. It is a time when we focus on the incredible achievements of refugees who have become our neighbors, friends, student peers and co-workers – and it’s also a day when we consider the causes of their forced migration, the millions who are still persecuted and displaced without safety and protection, and the need for a world response to refugees’ plight.   Click here to learn more about World Refugee Day Arizona!
Corporate & Foundation Donors
January - May 2020

American Express Foundation

Arizona Community Foundation

Arizona Women's Partnership

Burton Family Foundation

Motorola Solutions Foundation

Notre Dame Club of Phoenix

Pakis Family Foundation

Scottsdale Leadership

Team Zimm Family Trust

Click here to visit our Website to see a complete list of our Supporters!
Easy and free ways to support WTAP!
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Our WTAP Partners
The Welcome to America Project
1711 W. University Dr. #158, Tempe, AZ 85281
602-490-0088