|
Volunteer
Volunteer At Bridge
Volunteer Orientation
Volunteer ESL
Co-Sponsorship
|
 About
us
Welcoming refugees to East Tennessee
since 1982.
Thank you for your interest in helping
refugees bridge the gap from despair to dignity!
History
In the early 1980s, Barbara Mozingo moved
to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Bridge was first
envisioned. Years earlier, Barbara had learned of the
problems faced by newcomers to the U.S. through her
parents, who helped Norwegian immigrants to settle in
their Minnesota community. Later, through her church,
Barbara began devoting time to refugees. When she
arrived in Oak Ridge, few refugee services were
available. She quickly recognized that her experience
helping refugees would be useful in Oak Ridge.
Barbara contacted local churches for assistance, and
soon she met Sue Casaro-Hofer. Together, Sue and Barbara founded what is now
Bridge Refugee Services, partnering with two of the
national agencies that help the U.S. government resettle
refugees. These agencies are Church World Service (CWS)
and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). Sue and
Barbara chose the name Bridge because they wanted the
agency to be a bridge between churches, volunteers, CWS,
EMM, and anyone else who wanted to join them in
resettling refugees in East Tennessee.
The first Bridge office was in Knoxville in a room
donated by Erin Presbyterian Church, and the first
families assisted were Vietnamese and Polish. Bridge’s
main office is still located in Knoxville, now inside
New Covenant Presbyterian Church. At one time, Bridge
maintained a sub-office in Bristol, Tennessee, though
that office is no longer open. Bridge continues to
operate a sub-office in Chattanooga, where refugees are
also resettled. To date, Bridge has resettled hundreds
of refugees from over a dozen different
countries—including Liberia, Iraq, Moldova, Sudan,
Burundi, Burma, and many others—helping them find hope
and safety in East Tennessee.
Mission
Bridge Refugee Services is an ecumenical,
non-profit organization facilitating the resettlement of
refugees in East Tennessee. Refugees are persons who
flee their homeland due to fear of persecution (see
About Refugees). Each year, the U.S. government
welcomes thousands of refugees as legal residents.
Bridge empowers refugees to become
self-sufficient, and we work closely with many people in
Knoxville—including volunteers, employers, and churches
that sponsor refugee families—who are willing to help
their new neighbors.
Services
We offer a variety of services through
our office staff, case managers, volunteers, and
sponsors.
Empowering
Within the first 30 days of the refugee’s
arrival, Bridge will…
-
Organize
airport reception to greet the family
-
Provide
initial supply of food
-
Give
housing and personal safety orientation
-
Help
family members apply for social security cards
-
Register
families for cash/medical assistance/food stamps
-
Offer
employment services and ESL referral
-
Make at
least one home visit to each family
-
Ensure
that every refugee has a health assessment
-
Enroll
children in school
-
Complete
Orientation (including Selective Service, Travel
Loan, AOR filing, etc.)
Bridge staff, sponsors, and
volunteers continue to provide as much assistance as
possible until a family becomes self-sufficient, which
usually takes three to six months.
Mobilizing
Through education and training, Bridge
equips individuals and groups to help refugees start new
lives in America.
Bridge offers a variety of free services
to volunteers:
|
