REACTsponsors Roundtable Teaser

🎧 Volume on! 🎧#FromTheArchives: In this episode, REACT DC's former Sponsorship Program Director, Erin Howe, sits down with our CEO, Amy Marden, and past and present Sponsors Kim and Steve Schaffer, Domi Long, and Brooke Cutler, to discuss all things sponsorship. Learn what it's like to sponsor refugees and what steps it takes in real life for real people like YOU. Check out the unedited roundtable discussion on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7gakSAqq5Y 🔗 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Hl9FStNkJM2vbu7vqDTxF?si=NTu12b_sQD-5XABhOaEIDQ 🔗 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-7-reactsponsors-roundtable/id1645603675?i=1000590093806 🔗 Listen on our website: https://www.reactdc.org/react-dc-radio REACT DC has expanded sponsorship per the new Welcome Corps program that welcomes Ukrainian, Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan refugees. Learn more about how sponsorship has evolved at https://welcome.us/connect. Interested in becoming a Sponsor? Email our new REACTsponsors Program Director, Allison Agoglia, at [email protected] to get started. #sponsorship #refugees #communitysupport #podcast #reactdc #welcomemovement #youtube #spotify #applepodcasts 🎙️🌍✨

In today’s episode we’re going back in the archives to listen in on our REACTsponsors Program Director, Erin Howe, sitting down with REACT DC’s CEO, Amy Marden, and 4 of our past and present Sponsors, Kim and Steve Schaffer, Domi Long, and Brooke Cutler during their Roundtable Discussion back in September about all things sponsorship. Kim and Steve Schaffer are part of the Socorro Friends Sponsor Circle. They are a team of 4 couples plus one singleton.  Their circle started in November of 2021 and their newcomer family arrived in February of 2022. There were 5 children and a 6th was born in October. All school-aged children attended school and became near and dear to the community, playing soccer and joining in on community events.  Two of the children had significant disabilities that required numerous doctor and therapy appointments that the team assisted with.  The father found a job washing dishes in April and his crew loved him.  Both parents worked with community volunteers to learn English and guidance on life in the USA.  The family moved to Dallas in October to be near family and they are missed by the entire Socorro Friends Sponsor Circle Team. Domi Long is an educator from Silver Spring, Maryland. Her work with organizations providing services for Afghan evacuees introduced her to the unprecedented need for support for these newcomers. She is grateful to have learned of the Sponsor Circles program and to have had the opportunity to work with friends and neighbors to help an Afghan family settle in her community. Brooke Cutler is a stay at home mother of six children, and her husband, Spencer, is a biomedical engineer. They have both lived overseas multiple times and met many refugees in need of a place to call home, so when they heard of the sponsor circle program, they knew that sponsoring a refugee family was something their family wanted to do. They feel so blessed to have these Ukrainian families as a part of their lives. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to sponsor an Afghan or Ukrainian refugee or family, what steps it takes, and what it looks like in real life for real people like YOU, you cannot miss this conversation! The unedited roundtable discussion is also available for viewing on our YouTube channel. REACT DC currently has nearly 14+ Ukrainian Sponsor Circles, with ongoing efforts to recruit & hand-match 100 circles to Ukrainians in need by the end of 2022. With a best in class in class Sponsorship Program & a track record of 60+ past & present Sponsor Circles since January 2022, REACTsponsors will be by your side throughout the sponsorship experience. Interested in joining the Welcome Movement & becoming a Sponsor? If you, your family, church, club, team or organization are interested in learning more about Uniting for Ukraine, contact our REACTsponsors Program Director at [email protected] or go to our website. Want to help us in our MASSIVE goal to take on 100 sponsors by the end of the year? Your donation makes a difference. Donate now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Will you be one of our one hundred? Contact us today to learn more! Thank you for listening! Make sure to like and subscribe to hear our next episode and until then thank you for your support and we look forward to broadcasting to you again soon!

Today is GivingTuesday, a day where millions of people all around the world use their power of radical generosity to change the world. They volunteer at homeless shelters, organize food drives, fill their community fridges, donate to mutual aid funds, spread messages of solidarity and hope. What is Radical Generosity? While many call on philanthropists, policymakers and grantmakers to repair broken systems, GivingTuesday recognizes that we each can drive an enormous amount of positive change by rooting our everyday actions, decisions and behavior in radical generosity—the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. Radical generosity invites people in to give what they can to create systemic change. GivingTuesday has been built by a broad coalition of partners, including individuals, families, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, small businesses and corporations. There are people and organizations participating in GivingTuesday in every country in the world. Participating in GivingTuesday is about joining a movement for generosity, and there are so many ways to do that. Whether you give your voice, goods, your time, or your money, being generous is a way to fight for the causes you care about and help people in need. On this Giving Tuesday, help REACT DC help Refugees. You can Sponsor a Refugee Family through REACTsponsors by going to www.reactdc.org/reactsponsors or emailing [email protected]. You can Mentor or Hire a Refugee through our REACTworks Career Pathway Platform by going to www.reactworks.org or emailing [email protected]. And you can Advocate for Refugees by Volunteering your time with REACT DC and our many partner organizations by filling out the Volunteer Form on our website at www.reactdc.org/donate. You can Give to Refugee Organizations like REACT DC by going to www.reactdc.org/donate and donating at our DonorBox link. There are so many different ways to show generosity on GivingTuesday. This year, please consider supporting REACT DC so that we can continue to work with newcomers on the ground level to enable them on a path to self-reliance and integration into their new lives in America. To learn more about the origins of Giving Tuesday, go to www.givingtuesday.org. To learn more about REACT DC, go to www.reactdc.org.

In today’s episode we'll welcome back our former Family Service Director and current COO, Molly Sepulvado and introduce you to our REACTcore Program Manager Ally Brown, and two of our incredible beneficiaries turned Case Aides, Hameed and Mohammad. Ally is a military spouse, family advocate, and substitute teacher in Arlington, Virginia. During her many years of activism, Ally shaped and developed policy for the Virginia Department of Education as part of the Military Child Education Coalition and was selected for U.S. Senator Tim Kaine's Military Family Roundtable, which informed the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on various issues affecting military families. Ally has been with REACT DC since the beginning, from day one of Home Setups to serving as our Family Services Specialist to her current position as REACT DC’s REACTcore Program Manager. Hameed joined the React DC Team in February 2022, overseeing the Employment Department and managing the employment program to directly support React DC’s clients in job acquisition in order to become self-sufficient. From 2002-2021 Hameed worked alongside the US Government in a variety of positions and he has received numerous awards and recognition for outstanding performance supporting US missions in Afghanistan. Hameed earned his master’s degree in Management Administration and Leadership from Kardan University Kabul, Afghanistan in 2016.  After leaving Afghanistan, Mohammad crossed Iran on foot with his ailing sister on his back, lived as a refugee in Turkey for four years, had his departure delayed due to the COVID pandemic and finally arrived in the US in the fall of 2021. His family was one of the first REACT DC beneficiaries and within months he had become the head of household at the age of 21, working multiple jobs, teaching himself to drive and learning English at a breathtaking pace. After overcoming incredible odds and enduring devastating heartbreak, Mohammad inspires everyone he meets with his positive attitude, quick smile and desire to serve his community and fellow Afghan brothers and sisters as a Case Aide with a local resettlement agency where he quickly promoted through the ranks due to his determination, work ethic and engaging demeanor. Today they are here to talk about the REACTcore program and how it is helping provide essential social services support for unsupported DC metro area newcomers including benefits enrollment, material goods distribution, and community resource and referral. We’ll discuss how our Family Services department evolved into REACTcore, Molly and Ally’s roles from the early days to now, Hameed and Fasih’s experience over the last year to include resettlement and their working relationship with REACT DC, go over the highs and lows of their positions and responsibilities within and without the organization, discuss the ONE thing they wish people knew about resettlement. To learn more about our REACT Dc please go to www.reactdc.org or contact us at [email protected].  To help support REACT DC’s efforts Donate Now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Thank you for listening! Make sure to like and subscribe to hear our next episode and until then thank you for your support and we look forward to broadcasting to you again soon!

In last week's episode we introduced you to Allison Agoglia, our REACTwomen Program Manager and welcomed back Molly Sepulvado, REACT DC’s COO. They talked about REACT DC’s new Women’s Program that launched in September 2022, discussed why they felt drawn to the create this program and why there’s a need to focus on our female beneficiaries, went over the highs and lows of the process of implementing this program, discussed the ONE thing they wish people knew about our Women’s Program and then ended with a favorite memory and what they’re most excited about in the year to come. You can hear the entire episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: To learn more about our Women’s Program or to find out about future events, please go to www.reactdc.org/reactwomen or contact our Women’s Program Manager at [email protected]. We are in urgent need of funding support to continue to operate and support this population in need.  The beneficiaries of REACTwomen are working every day to settle down, rebuild their lives and stand on their own so that they can not only survive but also thrive in their new communities. Your continued support will help provide support for these programs and your gift allows REACT DC to deliver year-round comprehensive help to our DC area refugee population. Gifts from donors like you bolster our vital work. To help support REACT DC’s efforts Donate Now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

In last week's episode we introduced you to Allison Agoglia, our REACTwomen Program Manager and welcomed back Molly Sepulvado, REACT DC’s COO. They talked about REACT DC’s new Women’s Program that launched in September 2022, discussed why they felt drawn to the create this program and why there’s a need to focus on our female beneficiaries, went over the highs and lows of the process of implementing this program, discussed the ONE thing they wish people knew about our Women’s Program and then ended with a favorite memory and what they’re most excited about in the year to come. You can hear the entire episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: To learn more about our Women’s Program or to find out about future events, please go to www.reactdc.org/reactwomen or contact our Women’s Program Manager at [email protected]. We are in urgent need of funding support to continue to operate and support this population in need.  The beneficiaries of REACTwomen are working every day to settle down, rebuild their lives and stand on their own so that they can not only survive but also thrive in their new communities. Your continued support will help provide support for these programs and your gift allows REACT DC to deliver year-round comprehensive help to our DC area refugee population. Gifts from donors like you bolster our vital work. To help support REACT DC’s efforts Donate Now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

In last week's episode we introduced you to Allison Agoglia, our REACTwomen Program Manager and welcomed back Molly Sepulvado, REACT DC’s COO. They talked about REACT DC’s new Women’s Program that launched in September 2022, discussed why they felt drawn to the create this program and why there’s a need to focus on our female beneficiaries, went over the highs and lows of the process of implementing this program, discussed the ONE thing they wish people knew about our Women’s Program and then ended with a favorite memory and what they’re most excited about in the year to come. You can hear the entire episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: To learn more about our Women’s Program or to find out about future events, please go to www.reactdc.org/reactwomen or contact our Women’s Program Manager at [email protected].  We are in urgent need of funding support to continue to operate and support this population in need.  The beneficiaries of REACTwomen are working every day to settle down, rebuild their lives and stand on their own so that they can not only survive but also thrive in their new communities. Your continued support will help provide support for these programs and your gift allows REACT DC to deliver year-round comprehensive help to our DC area refugee population. Gifts from donors like you bolster our vital work. To help support REACT DC’s efforts Donate Now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

In today’s episode we'll introduce you to Allison Agoglia, our REACTwomen Program Manager and welcome back Molly Sepulvado, REACT DC’s COO. Allison lived the life of a military brat and grew-up all over the US and abroad. That sense of never staying in one spot for too long,  learning about different cultures, and being able to explore new places through travel sparked her desire to work overseas and with diverse populations. She has worked with several NGOs around the world to provide assistance to women and children, access to education, and lessons on women’s health. She’s previously worked in a refugee resettlement office and assisted with their women’s and cultural orientation programs. Allison believes in the boots on the ground approach— interacting with the families directly, building relationships, learning people’s stories, and making those personal connections drive her to keep going. She approaches situations with empathy and compassion, a willingness to listen, and grit so that she can support and empower those she works with. Allison attended James Madison University and studied International Affairs with a Concentration in Africa along with a minor in French Molly and Allison are here to talk about REACT DC’s new Women’s Program that launched in September 2022. They’ll discuss why they felt drawn to the create this program and why there’s a need to focus on our female beneficiaries, go over the highs and lows of the process of implementing this program, discuss the ONE thing they wish people knew about our Women’s Program and then end with a favorite memory and what they’re most excited about in the year to come. To learn more about our Women’s Program or to find out about future events, please go to www.reactdc.org/reactwomen or contact our Women’s Program Manager at [email protected]. We are in urgent need of funding support to continue to operate and support this population in need.  The beneficiaries of REACTwomen are working every day to settle down, rebuild their lives and stand on their own so that they can not only survive but also thrive in their new communities. Your continued support will help provide support for these programs and your gift allows REACT DC to deliver year-round comprehensive help to our DC area refugee population. Gifts from donors like you bolster our vital work. To help support REACT DC’s efforts Donate Now to have an immediate impact in the lives of refugees. Donations support families in immediate need and ensure support for families still to come. REACT DC, Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. To stay updated on this channel, check back soon and you’ll see our next episode coming through and until then thank you for taking an interest, and we look forward to broadcasting to you again soon! website: www.reactdc.org email: [email protected] Facebook: @REACTDC Instagram: @reactdcorg Twitter: @reactdcorg LinkedIn: Resettlement Action DC (REACT DC) YouTube: Resettlement Action DC (REACT DC)

In Part II of last week's 2-episode arc we welcomed back Erin Howe, our REACTsponsors Program Director, and introduced you to Cynthia Rapp Sandhu, one our REACTsponsors. Erin and Cynthia talked about Sponsorship, and Cynthia’s experience preparing for the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans and ultimately participating in the Uniting for Ukraine program. They went over the highs and lows of sponsoring, discussed the ONE thing they wish people knew about sponsorship and then ended with a favorite memory. You can hear the entire episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. REACT DC currently has nearly 14+ Ukrainian Sponsor Circles, with ongoing efforts to recruit & hand-match 100 circles to Ukrainians in need by the end of 2022. With a best in class in class Sponsorship Program & a track record of 60+ past & present Sponsor Circles since January 2022, REACTsponsors will be by your side throughout the sponsorship experience. Interested in joining the Welcome Movement & becoming a Sponsor? If you, your family, church, club, team or organization are interested in learning more about Uniting for Ukraine, contact our REACTsponsors Program Director at [email protected] or go to our website.

In Part I of last week's 2-episode arc, we introduced you to our REACTsponsors Program Director, Erin Howe. She talked about the REACTsponsors program and how it provides nationwide end-to-end support as a Sponsor Circle Umbrella and a Private Sponsorship Organization for Americans who want to enrich their communities and themselves through sponsorship of Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers. We also discussed her experience over the last year developing a flagship sponsor program and delved into how sponsoring works and what to do to get started. She went over the highs and lows of sponsorship, discussed the ONE thing she wishes people knew about sponsoring and then ended with a favorite memory and what she’s most excited about in the year to come. You can hear the entire episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. REACT DC currently has nearly 14+ Ukrainian Sponsor Circles, with ongoing efforts to recruit & hand-match 100 circles to Ukrainians in need by the end of 2022. With a best in class in class Sponsorship Program & a track record of 60+ past & present Sponsor Circles since January 2022, REACTsponsors will be by your side throughout the sponsorship experience. Interested in joining the Welcome Movement & becoming a Sponsor? If you, your family, church, club, team or organization are interested in learning more about Uniting for Ukraine, contact our REACTsponsors Program Director at [email protected] or go to our website.