Knoxville's Bridge Refugee Services is one of those surprising social services in town that you may not have heard of. (I think it's been several years since MP has written about them.) Bridge, an ecumenical non-profit, helps refugees resettle in East Tennessee, providing them with food, housing, and guidance in finding employment, health care, and education. (Keep in mind that refugees aren't simply immigrants--they're people who had to flee their homeland due to fear of persecution.)
This Saturday, Bridge will be observing World Refugee Day by creating a simulated refugee camp to show visitors what it's like to go through such an experience. "They will be American refugees forced to flee persecution in their homeland and apply for refugee status with the UN," writes Bridge Executive Director Marilyn Bresnan. "They may or may not be accepted for resettlement and families will be separated. Who knows what country they'll end up in?!"
There will also be an African Children's choir made up of Burundi refugee children that were resettled within the past year or two, plus food made by refugees from Burundi, Iraq, Burma, and Moldova.
The event is Saturday, June 20, 1-6 p.m. at New Covenant Presbyterian Church (5520 Ball Camp Pike). Go to www.bridgerefugees.org for more info.
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