Our Community: Refugee Support Center
The top voter in our 12 Days of Kindness campaign serves people who come to our community from all over the world.
When we launched our 12 Days of Kindness campaign, our Cole Park store team chose the Refugee Support Center, partner agency of Chapel Hill Tire. This volunteer organization, founded in 2012, helps refugees in their transition to a new life in our community. Offering a wide range of services, better access to resources, and training in self-sufficiency skills, the Center is a great example of what it means to spread kindness and positivity.
Located in Carrborough, North Carolina, the Center serves approximately 900 people annually, most of whom come from Syria, Burma and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fleeing persecution, violence and war, they are placed in resettlement agencies that have cooperation agreements with the State Department as soon as they arrive in the United States. These agencies provide reception and accommodation services; however, they stop after three months.
And then the Refugee Support Center steps in, offering assistance as needed. In addition to facilitating the transition of refugees to a new life, the Center protects their needs and interests, helping them to preserve their cultural and ethnic identity. In addition, the Center acts as an educational resource for the community, helping to better understand our new neighbors.
For their act of kindness, the Cole Park team went to collect groceries for the residents of the Center. But that was only the beginning. Through the efforts of the Center's volunteers and our Cole Park team, the Center received almost 5,000 votes in our 12 Days of Kindness competition, earning a $3,000 donation from Chapel Hill Tire.
“We are in seventh heaven winning first place in the 12 Days of Kindness program at Chapel Hill,” said Center Director Flicka Bateman. “Every cent of the prize money will be used to help refugees in our community. Thank you to our supporters for voting for us, our refugee friends for inspiring us every day, and Chapel Hill Tire for hosting the competition and encouraging us all to do good deeds.”
We are proud to support the Refugee Support Center and share their mission to help local refugees transition to a new life. Please visit the Center's website to learn more or become a volunteer.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to all the participants of the 12 days of Christmas. Whether you performed an act of kindness, voted on which charity touched you the most, or shared some extra cheer this holiday season, we are truly grateful. We enter 2021 with a great sense of community and appreciation!
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