Rotarians invited to attend virtual meeting to learn about assisting refugees

Phoenix 100 invites all Rotarians to join them at their next virtual club meeting Sept. 24 to hear Nicky Walker from the International Rescue Committee discuss assisting refugees looking to enter the United States.

 

The meeting begins at noon via Zoom. If you or anyone you know would like to attend, please contact Valerie Bohonus at Phoenix 100 for the link.

 

Ms. Walker will present “Refugee 101: Welcoming New Neighbors to America.”

 

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Additionally, our International Outreach Committee (IOC) has selected IRC as a focus this Rotary year.

In 1933, on the behest of Albert Einstein, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) began rescuing people facing persecution and genocide and fleeing war and natural disaster. Now at work in over 40 countries, the IRC has resettled 19,000 refugees and 21,000 asylum seekers in Arizona since 1994. Who are refugees and asylum seekers, and how did they get here? Why should Arizonans welcome these families? And how can our community welcome these new neighbors? www.Rescue.org/Phoenix

Nicky Walker was born in Guatemala and raised in Colombia and Sierra Leone. Nicky's first language is Spanish, and she is proficient in French which she learned as a Rotary Exchange Student in France.

 

Nicky started her professional career as a fundraiser with St. Mary’s Food Bank, the world's first food bank. Seeking more direct program experience she moved on to become a Member Services Executive for the Girl Scouts. Nicky joined the International Rescue Committee in 2006 as Volunteer and Outreach Program Coordinator and became Development Manager in 2011.

 

As the IRC's Development Manager in Arizona, Nicky works with individual donors, foundations and corporations to engage them in the IRC’s work. She also directs local public relations and serves as spokesperson for the agency, along with managing local marketing and special events.