Great Shape! Inc. and our volunteers are blessed to be involved with all kinds of other projects around this world. One of our former interns, Angie Funnell is currently working with World Relief. Please enjoy her guest post:   

     STAND/ FOR THE VULNERABLE is the tagline for World Relief. World Relief’s mission is to empower the local church to serve the vulnerable.    

    On Saturday, October 22, World Relief Spokane is hosting its first annual ‘Refugee Art Auction and Fashion Show’ at the East Central Community Center from 11 am to 2pm. This unique event is dedicated to raise awareness of refugee cultures in Spokane and to raise funds for our refugee resettlement and Match Grant programs.

    World Relief Spokane resettles up to 600 new refugees from around the world each year in Spokane. According to the UNHCR a refugee is: “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” Refugees are currently arriving in Spokane coming from various countries such as Bhutan, Burma, Dem. Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan.

    One refugee resettled by World Relief, Zaid, explains “In Iraq, life is bombs and killing. I lost my family, but here I am building myself. Everything here [in America] is good.” He says his favorite thing, though, is the justice, ‘al- adali’ in Arabic.  He believes that this was lacking in Iraq. “I needed justice and I found it in America,” Zaid explains. About his new friends and the support system at World Relief, Zaid describes, “I think it is a new family. This life is very nice. I love anyone, black man, white, Christian, Muslim, Buddha, we must live in peace; I needed this.” Imagine fleeing to a new world with the shirt on your back, terrified but hopeful of the future that awaits you. You are thankful to be welcomed by strangers with warm eyes of comfort and hugs of love.

    Each refugee has a unique and powerful story like Zaid. Refugees will receive 80 percent of the highest bid for their pieces. Artistic items for the Silent Auction are uniquely crafted by refugees living here in Spokane, and will include clothing, jewelry, home décor, and art. During the Fashion Show, you will have the opportunity to see and learn about the traditional ethnic clothing worn by the refugees from around the world who now live in Spokane. You will be able to see cultural dress and hear music from 10 countries from around the world including Bhutan, Burma, Eritrea, Dem. Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iraq.

    Tickets for this unique event are $20 per person in advance or $25 at the door. To purchase online tickets go to http://worldrelief.org/spokane/artandfashionshow. For more information please contact Sharon Page at 509-484-9829 ex.104 or spage@wr.org. You can also like World Relief Spokane’s facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Relief-Spokane and follow them on twitter @WRSpokane.