Janet K from Catholic Charities spoke to us about their refugee program. Janet’s husband was an Army officer and when civil war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, they knew he would be forced to pick sides with family and friends on all sides. She and her husband and two children came to the US in 1994 and experienced firsthand the problems a language barrier can create. She started working for refugee services at Catholic Charities in 1998. Janet pointed out that a refugee differs from an immigrant in that they are forced to leave their country due to fear of persecution which could be either religious or political. Their goal is to help these refugee families become self sufficient and she said that is now the case for any families that arrived here in October. She introduced us to Par, who came here from Burma in 2014 with her daughter after spending seven years in a refugee camp. June 20 is world refugee day. Thank you, Janet, for sharing this important information with Loves Park Rotary.
