In response to an increasing desire to help refugees, Provo City is hosting an information night.
In late March, leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called upon members to show their support for refugees.
“Here in Utah County, we have compassionate hearts,” says Michaelann Bradley, Communications Manager for United Way of Utah County. “People have been urged to act on their compassion by their church leaders and the news and they just feel like they are being encouraged to really go out and do something about the suffering that they’re seeing.”
The problem is most of Utah’s political refugees settle in Salt Lake City area and not in Provo. “So how do we help people find ways to express their compassion and make a difference by making connections to people around them?”
Provo City’s answer is to host an information night on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the LDS Stake Center at 450 N 1220 W. The idea is to connect people with local organizations like the United Way and Centro Hispano. While there may not be many refugees, over 38,000 people in Utah County are first generation immigrants and 72,000 are living in poverty. Bradley says they hope to channel the community’s compassion into helping neighbors in need.
