|
|
|
|
|
CENTRAL SERVICES 3627A West Waters Ave. Tampa, FL 33614 800.651.1853 or 813.875.1408 Fax 813.875.1302
|
Over 225 Mark World
Refugee Day at USF
Proclamations from 4 Communities & the Governor
24 June 2009 - TW
More
than 225
people gathered at the University of South Florida (USF) on June
19 to commemorate World Refugee Day, annually designated on June 20 by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees to honor refugees worldwide. This year's
event carried the theme "Real People, Real Needs" and was
jointly sponsored by Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) and the USF
International Affairs Department.
The event included presentations by seven former refugees who spoke about
their experiences, five of whom were resettled by LSF: Joseph Deny of
Sudan, Evelyn Cooper of Liberia, Aung Thein of Burma, Ahmed Al Obaidi of
Iraq and middle school student Prem Kumar Subedi of Bhutan. Also
sharing their experiences were Mirsaid Khusaynov of Tajikistan and
17-year-old Vicky Nkanj of Cameroon, both of whom were resettled by Gulf
Coast Jewish Family Services.
LSF Regional Director for Tampa Bay,
Rubis Castro, shared that more communities in the region than ever had
issued proclamations designating June 20 as World Refugee Day, including the
City of Tampa, the City of St. Petersburg, the City of Clearwater, and the
Pasco County Commission, each of which recognized Lutheran Services Forida
for
providing "assistance to more than 209,000 refugees fleeing religious and
political persecution, as well as over 640,000 at-risk childrn, the frail
elderly, and families in crisis."
In addition, Governor Charlie Crist also issued a proclamation for the whole state, noting that "the State of Florida continues to be a leader in the positive integration of refugees" and honoring "the humanitarian workers and volunteers as well as the communities in Florida that welcome humanitarian immigrants as new Americans."
U.S. Senator for Florida Bill Nelson also sent written greetings, which were read at the event and which cited "the courage of refugees and the contributions they have made to their communities." He went on to congratulate LSF "for your service as a human care agency and for your dedication."
Following presentations by the refugees
and the reading of proclamations, a panel of agency representatives working
with refugees spoke briefly about their work. The panel included,
Deputies Padron and Cuevas of the Hillsborough County Sheriff Department, Joy Munn of the
Florida Department of Children and Families, Christine Moore of the Florida
Department of Health, Lesleigh Lopez of the Hillsborough
Schools,
Daryl Rosenthal of Social Security, Ann Marie Winters of Gulf Coast Jewish
Family Services and Lourdes Mesias of LSF's Refugee Resettlement Program.
MC for the event was Tony Morejon, Hispanic Affairs Liaison. Opening and closing remarks were given by Mogtaba Maki. Official greetings were brought by former USF President Betty Castor, USF Dean of Libraries Bill Garrison, Phyllis Fleming of the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Kenneth Perry from the Mayor's office, City of Tampa.
Following the program, refreshments and displays were available for attendees. Displays included art work by refugee children and the following agencies and organizations: Catholic Charities, Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, Refugee Services of the Florida Department of Children and Family Services, USF's African Student Association, STAND Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and USF's Office of International Affairs.
For a COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY of the event, click here.
Read more about the World Refugee Day event at USF in the article published in the Oracle, the campus student newspaper, by clicking here.
For the earlier report announcing the event, click here.
Click on a link below to read the proclamations and recognitions for World Refugee Day and the refugee work of Lutheran Services Florida:
L U T H E R A N S E R V I C E S F L O R I D A