Te Deum had the honor of offering our 2017 performance of Bach’s St. John Passion for free to our community, and with a concert offering taken for Jewish Vocational Services.
Currently, there are more than 20 million refugees worldwide, and global humanitarian need is at an all-time high. Only 1% of all refugees are resettled in another country. Most refugee camps do not have running water or electricity and only cover basic necessities. Most refugees arrive in the U.S. with little English or knowledge of modern city living. Many have never known the meaning of home.
Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) was originally established in 1949 to assist Holocaust survivors, refugees and displaced persons in building new lives in the U.S. Since 2004, JVS has been resettling refugees in Kansas City, and currently, they relocate nearly 500 people from more than 15 countries every year.
They work to help those new to our country become self-sufficient with services such as:
- Locating and furnishing housing
- Providing basic necessities
- Case management and counseling
- Food and cash assistance
- Employment assistance
- Workplace readiness training
- Enrollment in schools and English as a Second Language programs
- Access to healthcare
- Cultural orientation
If you would like to volunteer, JVS needs assistance helping refugees find jobs, get to doctor appointments, grow healthy food in their global garden project and furnish their homes with basic necessities. You can find out more about JVS at www.jvskc.org.