New Staff Profile: Farah
In March we welcomed Farah Del to MCC’s employment team! Already an experienced employment counselor, Farah has hit the ground running, helping connect newcomers to their first jobs in the United States.
Refugee Services
New Staff Profile: Mikyla
Please join us in welcoming Mikyla to MCC Refugee Services as an Immigration Specialist!
New Staff Profile: Emily
We’re excited to welcome Emily Titus, our new specialist in the Intensive Case Management program. Her role involves coming alongside refugees who have a particular vulnerability to develop a plan for self-sufficiency and supporting them in that goal. By the time they exit the program, they can manage their vulnerability— whether that is a medical or mental health need, or something else.
New Intern Profile: Nou
We're excited to have Nou Vang with us this summer as a MSW intern. Nou is helping with our case management and resettlement services. Outside of work, you'll find Nou busy with her daughters who are doing distance learning and her graduate work.
New Staff Profile: John Lamont
We’re excited to introduce you to the newest member of our team, John Lamont! John joins us having just graduated with a history degree from Williams College in Massachusetts. He has a strong interest in immigration and environmental law, and the prevalence of immigrant and refugee stories in political news over the past few years has really raised his awareness. John also feels a personal connection to refugee resettlement through his grandfather, who came to the United States as a refugee from Lithuania in the 1950s.
New Staff Profile: Raahmo Hersi
It’s pretty incredible that in one generation, Raahmo has the kind of small-world Minnesota stories that weave together her life, family, and career.
For the Love of Soccer
Our LVC volunteer Emily shared this story about a family she met last summer:
Make a Difference
Refugee families arrive in Minnesota with very few belongings and limited financial resources. Your donated household and other items (new or nearly new) provide the gifts of welcome and hospitality to our newest neighbors and help ease the financial strain of resettlement. Click here to make a financial donation.
Interested in donating essential household items? Please refer to our list of accepted items below, select from our online registry, or build a Welcome Kit!
New Staff Profile: Miriam
Miriam’s varied life experiences have come together in a unique way to equip her for her new role as a Refugee Employment Counselor with MCC Refugee Services. Miriam was raised in a Mennonite family who valued hospitality and making room for outsiders, and that has deeply shaped her interests and values.
A Big Problem in a Small Community: Payday lending debt in Mankato
MCC Refugee Services in Mankato recently agreed to partner with an initiative of the Minneapolis Synod ELCA working to combat predatory payday lending in Minnesota communities. Payday loans are small loans, usually less than $500, that charge a high interest rate and must be repaid in full by the next paycheck. Families without financial margins can become easily entrapped in a devastating cycle of payday loans.
Blue Earth County has the 3rd highest rate of payday loans per capita in Minnesota and the statistics are staggering. For example, in 2018 there were: