Posts Tagged ‘Holiday’
Holiday Gift Guide 2021
Welcome to World Relief Chicagoland’s first annual holiday gift guide! We’ve created a holiday gift guide that creates change with every gift you buy.
When you purchase a gift from the holiday gift guide, you’ll be a part of building welcoming communities for refugees and immigrants.
So, what are you waiting for? This holiday season, give a gift that gives back.
World Relief Box from Anchor of Hope Box
Send hope to a loved-one’s doorstep (or your own!) with our exclusive World Relief gift box. We’ve partnered with Anchor of Hope Box to create a unique gift featuring beautiful, handmade items crafted by refugees, survivors of trafficking and people experiencing displacement around the world. Each box provides hope in the form of dignified and sustainable employment to people in vulnerable situations.
Order by December 14th for boxes to arrive by Christmas.
Re:new
Shop beautifully created bags, accessories, and more at Re:new. Re:new offers free sewing classes to refugee women in Chicagoland and then whenever possible, hires the graduates of the program to work in their studio and sell their items through their store.
Endiro Coffee
For the coffee aficionado in your life, locally based Endiro Coffee have a coffee subscription that your loved one is sure to enjoy.
Whitney Winkler Calendar
Bring some art into the everyday with this limited-edition calendar from Memphis-based artist Whitney Winkler. 100% of profits support local World Relief efforts.
The Happy Givers Collection
A gift that does good and looks good. The Happy Givers World Relief Collection is quality apparel with a purpose — perfect for the person in your life who likes to make a statement.
Refugee Bath Co.
Love. Energy. Nourish. Soothe. These are just a few of the words used to describe the bath bombs from Refugee Bath Co. whose mission is to provide opportunities for refugees in Washington to thrive.
prettyinside. Facial Masks
For the woman (or man!) in your life who wants their outside to shine as brightly as their inside, pick up a few face masks from Musee Bath’s newest line.
Hawa Images
Mark a special moment in your life with a photo package from Hawa Images. Studio owner Roxanne Engstrom believes in the power of story to inspire people to empathy and action.
Pen + Pillar Stationary
For the writer and kind-hearted giver in your life, shop owners Taylor and Justin have created a series of notebooks, greeting cards and art prints that your loved one is sure to enjoy.
Give the gift that keeps giving.
For the person in your life who is passionate about building welcoming communities for refugees and immigrants, gift a membership to Monthly Partners – World Relief Chicagoland’s monthly giving community.
Through their gifts each month, Monthly Partners partner with World Relief to create lasting change in Chicagoland for refugees and immigrants. Together, we equip immigrants and refugees to overcome barriers, achieve sustainable livelihoods, and seize a brighter future as they rebuild their lives in the United States.
Right now, their full first year will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000!
Gift Monthly Partners and spread the gift of lasting change.
Why World Relief Chicagoland Staff Are Thankful This Year
As we approach the end of the year and the start of the holiday season, many of us take time to reflect on the year behind us. We consider what we have to be thankful for. For some, the previous year was difficult, full of hard things and grief. That might make this holiday season feel painful or bittersweet. For others, this year has seen immense change or big life milestones.
Yes, practicing gratitude in the face of suffering and change is difficult. And yet, reflecting on what we have to be grateful for can help us be more hopeful as we seek joy and practice thankfulness.
At World Relief Chicagoland, we have seen God’s faithfulness in countless ways. Even amid big challenges and sad events, there is much to be grateful for. Because of that, we asked staff to share what they are thankful for this year. And the responses were inspiring! Join us in practicing gratitude today and read our staff’s testimonies below.
We believe that there are so many reasons to give thanks! Join us in counting your blessings. As a result, you might even see God’s grace and goodness in your life in new ways.
What are you thankful for this year?
I am grateful for trusting relationships with the people we serve and the chance to speak Swahili with some of them. I am also thankful to have friends among my coworkers and for the vibrant neighborhood and friends in Albany Park where our Chicago office is located, an office cube to make into a hospitable space, and the opportunity to worship each morning at our 8:30 prayer time.
– Katelyn Skye Bennett, Employment Counselor
I am grateful to work on a team that is passionate about serving refugees and other immigrants in learning English so that the students can fully integrate into the community and workplace.
– Mary Cerutti, Education Director, Suburbs
This year, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the World Relief family. I have felt welcomed and challenged to grow in my walk with God during morning prayer and words of encouragement from coworkers. I am so thankful to form part of a Christ-centered organization that supports and empowers the immigrant and refugee community through a holistic and sustainable approach while exemplifying the love of Christ.
– Brenda De Leon, Immigration Legal Services Paralegal
Welcoming our new neighbors…
Reflecting on 2021, I’m thankful that so many churches and volunteers are standing with us as we welcome arriving families and build community with immigrants and refugees who are already living in our neighborhoods and communities.
– Sara Aardema, Church and Volunteer Engagement Director, Chicago
One thing that I am grateful for is to work in an office when I can freely mention Jesus and prayer. I am also thankful that every day, I get to go to work and make a difference in someone’s life. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is priceless.
– Isoken Aiwerioba, Office Manager
I am grateful for the partnership with churches across Chicagoland, which are contributing to the reach of our God-given work in building and creating communities of love and welcome! Thank you, churches, for being the hands and feet of Jesus to strangers!
– Adrian Hendarta, Church Mobilization Coordinator
Making an impact, together…
Reflecting on 2021, I am grateful to work in a place where people make a difference and impact other people’s lives in the community and all around the world. World Relief has been an answered prayer in my life, and in many people’s lives. It is a blessing to be part of this work.
– Andrea Rodriguez, Immigration Legal Services Administrative Assistant
I am grateful for the foundation partners who believe in creating a brighter future and investing in their communities. That vision inspires me and reminds me that by working together, we really can create just and welcoming communities where everyone thrives.
– Carrie Woodward, Foundations Partnerships Manager
This year, I am so grateful for the incredible outpouring of love from our church partners. I am thankful for their strong interest in volunteering, generous giving, and inspiring their members to engage.
– Keith Draper, Church and Volunteer Engagement Director, DuPage & Aurora
What are YOU grateful for?
Thank you for reading what World Relief Chicagoland staff are grateful for! Now, spend some time thinking about the blessings in your life and work. What are those things that you are thankful for?
Finally, share your reflections with us! We want to hear from you! Please share what you are grateful for by tagging @WorldReliefChicagoland on Facebook or @WRChicagoland on Instagram or Twitter.
Thanksgiving: Inviting You to a Moment of Praise and Prayer
As we enter into the holiday season, what are you most thankful for? Maybe it is the birth of a new grandchild this year, more time spent with your family, tending a garden this past summer, spending time in nature, or even experiencing the struggles in life that led to growth.
As an organization motivated by Christian faith, World Relief Chicagoland considers our gratitude as a moment to see God at work in our midst and respond in prayer. How can you do the same? The Psalmist captures this gratitude as he celebrates God’s love and compassion. He responds in praise.
In Psalm 103, we read:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV
Moments of Praise
A call to praise God is often the climax of praise in the Psalter. Here at World Relief, there are many ways we can praise God for his work as we enter into Thanksgiving. May we take a moment to recognize and praise God for his love and compassion.
- Between our three offices in Aurora, Chicago, and DuPage County, we have welcomed nearly 200 arrivals since September 1st.
- Our Chicago office began welcoming newly arriving refugee families for the first time since 2018.
- Well over 1100 people have inquired to volunteer in the past three months.
- Students attending the Careers Pathways class were hired in well-paying positions to support their families.
- More students have been able to take part in English classes because they are virtual.
Moments of Prayer
At the same time, there are many ways we are asking God to move in the months ahead. This Thanksgiving, will you join the World Relief community in prayer for lasting change?
- For all the new refugee arrivals for smooth adjustments to the United States and to be able to adapt to the weather this winter.
- For our refugee and Afghan evacuee’s who are arriving to the United States with high expectations and finding everything much more difficult than they expect it to be from housing to jobs.
- More volunteers to tutor students who are learning English.
- The right people to join the World Relief Chicagoland team as there are many open positions and that these new staff members would feel welcomed.
- Permanent housing options that are affordable for families to move into upon their arrival.
- For our Immigration Legal Services team who are hearing about many situations of people processing trauma and feeling very overwhelmed.
- For World Relief Chicagoland staff to find times of rest and renewal this holiday season.
Join us in Prayer
We’re reminded that while creating change isn’t easy, it’s possible when we move together. May we pray this prayer of thanksgiving as we gather with friends and family this holiday season.
God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: […]
We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands, who call us to grow in understanding, for children, who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
Vienna Cobb Anderson
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.
For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We would love for you to share these moments of praise and prayer with your family and friends. When you share this post, tag World Relief Chicagoland on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thank you for joining World Relief Chicagoland in praying for our refugee and immigrant neighbors as they rebuild a new life in our community.
Downloadable Gift Card: Give in Honor of Someone You Love this Holiday Season
What kind of present do you get for the friend or family member who has it all? This year, we have an answer! With this downloadable gift card, give in honor of your loved one to World Relief Chicagoland. You will gain the knowledge that your gift is making a life-changing difference for an immigrant or refugee. And by giving in honor of your friend or family member, you will both know that, together, you are helping to change lives for the long-term.
How to Give in Honor of Your Loved One
1. Give Online
To give in honor of your friend or family member, first, choose your amount and donate online. Whatever the amount, you will know that your gift is making a lasting impact on an immigrant or refugee in a vulnerable situation this holiday season!
2. Download A Gift Card
We created a special gift card for you to download and send to your loved ones – or leave under the tree on Christmas morning! With this card, you can show them the impact they will be making through the gift you gave in their honor. Not only is this a meaningful way to show your loved ones that you are thinking of them, but they will be inspired by how together, we are helping immigrant and refugee families to thrive!
Download Your Gift Card Now
3. Print & Fold Your Gift Card
How to fold your card:
First, fold the paper in half.
Next, fold in half horizontally.
Finally, Write your personal message inside and give to your loved one!
*If you find that upon printing, the gift card is off-center, please check your print settings and adjust to “default” mode.
Thank you for giving to help immigrants and refugees rebuild their lives and seize a brighter future!