For media inquiries, comments, or more please email info@refugeeeducationcenter.org.
The Refugee Education Center is thrilled to announce Tatum Hawkins as its new Philanthropy Director. Her dedication to creating positive change aligns seamlessly with the Refugee Education Center’s commitment to supporting refugees in their journey to become fully participating members of the West Michigan community.
Read MoreFrom the Democratic Republic of the Congo to living and learning in a refugee camp in Tanzania, and now resettled in West Michigan, Didasi Mbongya was called to found the Didasi Language Facility.
Read MoreSince becoming a state, Michigan has welcomed a diversity of immigrants. This has shaped our resilient, compassionate, entrepreneurial, and community-oriented spirit. What is less known is that our state’s role as a landing spot for newcomers has never waned.
Read MoreToday is World Refugee Day! Refugee Education Center Executive Director Meg Derrer talks with Shelly Irwin on the WGVU Morning Show.
Read MoreTwelve-year-old Shukuru Abasi said she was able to build confidence by coming to the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood, where she met supportive tutors and volunteers who were trained to help refugee students like her acclimate to the US.
Read MoreLearn about creating positive social change through honest and authentic conversation. Often, that means sharing power and navigating the dynamics of power and privilege. Featuring Meg Derrer, the Refugee Education Center’s executive director.
Read MoreMeg Derrer comes to the Refugee Education Center with 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience in West Michigan, including serving as executive director of the Hope Network Foundation and in other director roles for several nonprofits throughout her career.
Read MoreThe Refugee Education Center grieves with our refugee community as we process the senseless killing of Congolese refugee Patrick Lyoya. Patrick’s death at the hands of a police officer has deeply affected a refugee community that has already been forced to flee acts of violence in their home countries.
Read MoreNew year, new look. We are so excited to share with you our new logo! It has been designed to honor the past, be reflective of our diversity, and embrace the wholeness of our mission….
Read MoreWe're excited and grateful to announce the Refugee Education Center has been chosen by Welcome.US.
Read MoreThis year has again proven the value of and need for community. Whether it’s interactions with family, friends, co-workers, or even simple interactions with a stranger at the grocery store, I have been buoyed by and craved connection after our lives were turned upside-down during the pandemic…
Read MoreAre you familiar with the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child?” This African proverb strikes at the heart of what we believe at the Refugee Education Center. We believe no one person can possibly shoulder the responsibility of ensuring a child grows in a safe and healthy environment. For the refugee children we serve on a daily basis, this fact is magnified by the trauma they and/or their families have endured by fleeing their homes and rebuilding their entire lives in a new place, culture, language, and more.
Read MoreAfghan arrivals have begun resettling in West Michigan, and the Refugee Education Center is working closely with our partners to ensure we can do our part to support these resilient families and individuals.
Read MoreDollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded the Refugee Education Center a $4,000 grant to support youth literacy initiatives. This local grant award is part of more than $3 million in grants awarded this fall to nearly 760 nonprofit organizations, libraries, and schools across the 46 states that Dollar General serves.
Read MoreIt’s bittersweet to say that another summer has come and gone. We loved having students back in person for our summer programs. While we are sad to see it come to an end, we are excited for all that is to come in the next school year!
Read MoreAs roughly 50,000 Afghan refugees begin resettling in communities across the country, we at the Refugee Education Center are excited to welcome any and all Afghan nationals.
Read MoreI am so grateful to have had the opportunity to intern with the Refugee Education Center and for the formative experience it’s been
Read MoreTo those who have emigrated from Afghanistan and now call West Michigan home, we offer you our support and well wishes of safety for your family members and friends who are caught in the middle of this crisis.
Read MoreOur mission drives us to continue supporting the refugee community despite the challenges we faced in the last year. We are so proud of this community's resiliency and cannot wait to support their accomplishments in the coming year.
Read MoreThe Refugee Education Center teamed with Crooked Tree Stories to develop and publish two children’s short-story anthologies authored and illustrated by the brave refugee students supported by the Refugee Education Center. These creative and touching books take you inside the minds of refugee children, ages 6-14, as they grow into their new homes and draw on their lived experiences to tell stories of their hopes, fears, and good old-fashioned silliness!
Read More
