Indiana Refugee Network

IRN Family,

is almost upon us and the need is greater than ever. Please consider giving a tax deductible gift so that we can continue to support immigrant students and their families

Your money will continue to fund programs that try to create equity for all students such as athletic and performing arts fees, field trips, dance and athletic events tickets, graduation fees, caps and gowns, and summer school classes.

We can’t do this without you! Thank you for your support.

Pay Indiana Refugee Network using PayPal.Me Go to paypal.me/indianarefugeeIRN and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

Hey IRN family, we are looking for a gently used reliable bike for a high school student. If you have one you are willing to donate, please dm us. Thank you!

Hey IRN Family, we are looking for a gently used computer for one of our students who is off to college. We are so proud of him and want to support his success. Please message us if you have one available.

Back to school time means back to school activities and extra curriculars. IRN firmly believes that students involved in extra curricular activities perform better at school and add to their overall well-being. Here are a few things your donations do:
$5-class field trip for one student
$25-PE uniform fee or performing arts item(s)
$50-overnight field trip or sport practice uniform
$200-sponsor one soccer player for an entire season

Unfortunately we have had another unexpected parent death in the IRN community. We are trying to coordinate with the soccer community to raise much needed funds to help pay for the funeral. Right now 100% of the burden falls on an 18 year old kid. Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Because we have had an unexpected number of emergency situations, we wanted to assure our supporters that any money raised will not affect our commitments to support equity based programs for summer school classes, graduation expenses, field trips, and other student camps.

When I left teaching this past semester, I promised my students that I would still be there for them. I didn’t think it would be like this. Late yesterday afternoon I found out a student passed away from a tragic accident. I am asking, once again, for donations to help for the cost of funeral expenses. I never imagined when IRN was formed in 2016 that I would ask for donations to help for a student’s funeral expenses. At the same time this is exactly why IRN was started, to help families. The goal is to raise $3000 to help with funeral and burial expenses. If you are unable to donate please keep this family and the siblings in your thoughts. Thank you for your continued support to help populations that are far too often overlooked.

As we close out 2022 we want to thank everyone for your support in making a difference in the lives of refugees by donating to IRN. In 2023 your donations will go further as we begin to branch out across the state to help improve the lives and academic trajectory for more students and their families.

January brings the start of a new semester, that means it’s time to think about summer school classes or graduation. IRN is proud to help students with those fees so they can graduate on time and participate in graduation. If you’d like to be a part of our amazing community and join in making a real difference in the lives of refugee students then please donate below.

Cheers to 2023 and the hope it brings. Thank you for a great 2022!

FUNERAL AND COAT UPDATE:

Coats: Thank you to everyone that donated coats! Once the first round went out more students came and needed them (it’s embarrassing for some to ask the first time). I made a quick run to Costco and was able to purchase more for those students and then have a few extra. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Funeral: The student who lost his mother came up to me with a smile on his face. He was so proud to show me the beautiful ceremony they were able to provide to the community and give his mom the burial she deserved. I wish every one of you could have seen that smile. THANK YOU for showing him he is not alone in this and that he is cared for.

None of this is possible without your help and donations! Thank you for all your support.

She was in seventh grade and a newly arrived refugee from Eastern Africa. She was in my newcomer class and she could make a whole room light up. She was soft-spoken yet opinionated. To say she won me over is an understatement. Like a majority of my other students, she didn’t know English and I instantly felt this need to advocate for her.

It’s important to note that my own two children were attending a township elementary school at this time. They were able to fully experience all it had to offer. If there was a school function or field trip we never blinked an eye but just wrote the check. We had the privilege and luxury of being able to do that. As educators, we believed (and still do) that playing a sport, being in a club, or going on a field trip holds as much value as any classroom.

One day towards the end of the year my student came into class visibly upset. She was able to communicate with me that the field trip she thought she was going on would no longer be possible. When she turned in her permission slip the teacher gave it back and said she needed to pay. She knew her single mom supporting three kids couldn’t afford it. The cost of the trip was around $50. I went home that night and couldn’t stop thinking about how unfair it was that my own children could experience any school event and my equally deserving student couldn’t afford one.

The next day I asked if her mom would let her go if she didn’t have to pay. She said yes, her mom had already signed the permission slip. I wrote the blank check I had stored in my purse to cover the cost. Was this field trip mandatory? No. Was it a necessity? No. Did it give her a new life experience she never thought she’d experience? Yes! That was the first time I can vividly remember thinking how great it would be if we could help tons of students that may be in similar situations.

So how does the story end? IRN was officially formed in 2016. FOR THIS FAMILY ALONE, your donations paid for: six summer school classes equaling six credits towards graduation, PE uniforms, a career center class, sports physicals, fees to participate in extracurricular
activities, and CAP & GOWN packages!!

Your donations, no matter how small, make big differences. Click below to make a donation or message us for alternate ways to financially donate.

I’ve never been good at asking for money or fundraising. That’s not ideal when you have a nonprofit that runs on donations. I have always tried to maintain the dignity and privacy of those we help. I never want to exploit them or tell their stories to raise money. Since I won’t share their stories, the next best thing is to tell you my stories.

Each week until the end of the year, I will be sharing my stories. Stories about how students impacted me in life altering ways. Stories about how they shaped IRN and continue to be our WHY. I’ll tell you stories about the ripple affect your donations have had and will continue to have on families. I’ll share all of these stories with hopes you’ll love our cause and want to support us or at the very least, understand our hearts and WHY.

So I won’t ask for financial donations today but…To kick off this season of giving, we are asking for volunteers to purchase winter warmth for a high school student. Volunteers will receive a gender and size and be responsible for purchasing a new winter coat, hat, and gloves. Items need to be dropped off or shipped to IRN by November 25. If you are interested please just comment ‘ME’ and I will message you the information you need.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my first story so like, follow, and share our page. Thank you!

UPDATE: Thanks to very generous donors and all of you, IRN was able to grant $3500 to go towards funeral costs!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We have been quiet on social media but busy behind the scenes for some good things we are working on in the future. However, we still have bigger needs that arise. We currently have a student that is living with extended family and his mother passed away in his home country. He is responsible for paying her burial costs. The total cost is $5000 and he already has $3000. If you would be willing to help this student please click the donate button. You may also donate via PayPal at PayPal.me/indianarefugeeIRN Thank you!!

Pay Indiana Refugee Network using PayPal.Me Go to paypal.me/indianarefugeeIRN and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

Thanks to our village, over 45 students were able to take home summer personal care kits. They were so appreciative and thankful. Thank you!

It's graduation time and our families need your help! Would you consider sponsoring one student?

Graduation, the pinnacle of over a decade's worth of hard work for any student, but for our families it often represents so much more. It can mean traversing a whole new country, language, and new customs. But against all odds, our IRN students find themselves approaching that special moment, only to worry about participating because the fees are too much for their families. At IRN, we've made it our mission to provide equity to immigrant students and their families. A cap and gown fee should NEVER be the reason a student does not participate in their school's ceremony. So we are asking for your help. For $50, you can sponsor a student's cap and gown fees. But we don't think it should stop there.

For my wife and I, we have watched our children grow up beside many of these immigrant students. This year our own daughter will graduate and we have been inundated with fees to celebrate her big day: invitations, new dresses, cap and gown, parent luncheon, and grad dance. As I give my daughter the credit card to cover each fee, I find myself wondering about each of our IRN families. What about our students? Do they get invitations? Will they even have a party? Can they pay for the cap and gown? Will they attend an expensive parent luncheon? How about the final event of high school, a grad dance? My daughter.. YES. For many of our students, it's a NO. As I set here typing this message, I can't help but cry a little. Why my daughter, why not them?

I think IRN has made a lot of mistakes over the years as we've tried to advocate for students. Summer school... of course. Cap and Gown... yes. But what about the other rights of passage? If I am being honest, it wasn't until my daughter starting asking for money that I realized we'd missed it. It's not enough to pay for summer school classes to help our students catch up. It's not enough to pay for a cap and gown when they reach the pinnacle of an American diploma. I think we can do more.

Will you join my family in donating money so that immigrant students can enjoy the same rites of passage that my daughter and son will?

The Ceremony Package
For $50, you can sponsor one cap and gown

The Senior Experience
For $135, you can sponsor one cap and gown, two parent luncheon tickets, and one grad dance ticket.

The High School Legacy
For $250, you can sponsor summer school classes for three years and all the rites of passages senior students would like to enjoy and participate in with their parents.

At IRN we know times are hard. We understand completely if you can't donate. Would you please consider sharing this message if you can't and encouraging your friends to like our page? This allows us to get the message out to a wider audience. I know we don't say it enough, but our IRN family is awesome. Whenever we've asked for a great need, like paying for a brand new motorized wheelchair to start the school year, you've always responded. Without this group, our immigrant families would not have the support we provide. So thank you!

We are making some summer care kits for students in need. If you’d like to help by purchasing an item off our Amazon Wish List that would be greatly appreciated.

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