Salt Lake City, Utah, Jun 12, 2011 / 11:11 am
Fleeing war-torn countries and political persecution, refugees from all around the world come to the United States to find peace and to prosper. Through the years, 30,000 of them have been resettled in Utah.
On June 20 – designated as World Refugee Day by the United Nations – some of them will tell their stories at an event sponsored by Catholic Community Services.
"Refugees: The Real Story" will feature stories from a Rwandan refugee and a teenager who is in the refugee foster care program. Bishop John C. Wester, immediate past chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, will be a keynote speaker.
The event is intended to educate Utahns about their new neighbors, and give information about ways to volunteer or advocate for refugees, who are legal immigrants to the United States.