For Immediate Release
Publix to sponsor Jacksonville's
World Refugee Day celebration on June 20
Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida teams with
World Relief and Catholic Charities for event celebrating
community's refugee population
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 16, 2008) - The Jacksonville refugee community will gather for a local celebration of World Refugee Day on Friday, June 20, at Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church, Lakeshore Property.
Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida is teaming with World Relief and Catholic Charities to promote the gathering, which will allow refugees in the Jacksonville community to mix and mingle while celebrating their various journeys to America. Publix has generously donated refreshments for the event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Included in the day's schedule of events will be games, including a soccer match, outdoor activities for children and a special art project. The event is free and open to the public.
World Refugee Day is a global occasion each year to remember the tens of millions of refugees and others who have been forcibly displaced, and to recall what makes them different. More than 50,000 refugees were resettled in the United States within the last year, including more than 300 by LSS in the Jacksonville area in the last 12 months.
"We can't adequately express our gratitude to Publix and our other sponsors for their sponsorship of this year's World Refugee Day celebration," said Barbara Carr, refugee and immigration services program director at Lutheran Social Services. "This event is always a tremendous blessing for those who participate, as well as the organizers. Many refugees have taken advantage of their opportunities to create new lives in this country, and events like this give them a chance to interact with others who have traveled the same path."
Shepherd of the Woods Lakeshore Property is located at 6595 Columbia Park Court, one mile from Greenland Road and Philips Highway. For more information on World Refugee Day, contact Barbara Carr at 904.448.5995 or e-mail bcarr@lssjax.org.
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| About Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida
Lutheran
Social Services of Northeast Florida was founded in 1979 by area
Lutherans and business leaders and continues to be led by LCMS and ELCA
congregations today. The agency currently operates five programs: the
Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida, a member of America's Second
Harvest food network; Refugee and Immigration Services, which resettles
90% of all refugees coming to Jacksonville through Lutheran Immigration
and Refugee Service (LIRS) and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM);
International Adoption, a member of Lutheran Adoption Network, a
national collaboration of 30 Lutheran social ministry organizations
that place thousands of children in caring adoptive homes, regardless
of faith background, every year; AIDS Care and Education Program and
Representative Payee Services. LSS also operates The Sharing Place
Thrift Shop, 4615 Philips Highway, Tues.-Sat. Call 904.448.5995 for
more information about any of these programs and services.
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| CONTACT:
Lutheran Social Services of NE Florida Tom Strother
Advancement Manager (Communications)
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World Refugee Day
2008 Celebration
WHEN: Friday, June 20
(10 a.m.-2 p.m.).
WHERE: Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church, Lakeshore Property.
BENFITING: World Refugee Day is a global occasion each year to remember the tens of millions of refugees and others who have been forcibly displaced, and to recall what makes them different
ADMISSION: Free and open to the general public.
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