The Refugee Welcome Network (RWN) is a partnership of HARC, Islamic Center of Hagerstown, and other houses of worship and community organizations in Washington County, Maryland. The RWN seeks to connect individuals and families newly arrived in the U.S. and Washington County to community resources, including housing, household goods, English lessons, jobs, food and clothing, and more, and support them with friendship and community as they settle in their new home.
Funding for this work is greatly needed!
About the RWN
Learn about the RWN through our short informational videos:
What is the Refugee Welcome Network?
Volunteering with the Refugee Welcome Network
Some of the Barriers that Refugees Face
Mission
The Refugee Welcome Network welcomes refugees and supports their transition into U.S. Culture as residents of Washington County, MD.
Values
We operate under the premise that we all have inherent worth and dignity, hence providing our participants with unconditional care with:
Respect: The RWN and its team strive to serve by honoring the individuality of its participants. We seek to understand and uphold the individual’s beliefs, culture, ideas, and life journey.
Community: The RWN seeks to establish, develop, and maintain the spirit of community between families, volunteers, and community groups. Through the spirit of compassionate care, individuals will feel welcomed and, in turn, become members of the Washington County community.
Collaboration: The RWN values and supports collaboration and teamwork with diverse groups in our community. By cultivating collective impact, we are best able to help and support our participants.
Criteria:
- Must have a credible claim to qualify for asylum or for some other type of humanitarian immigration status.
- To qualify for asylum, a person must be physically present in the United States and satisfy the definition of a “refugee” under international law: someone who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted in their home country due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
- To qualify for some other type of humanitarian immigration status, the person must have fled their home country to escape war, extreme violence or civil unrest, natural disaster, or similar dangerous conditions, and is from a country designated as eligible for temporary protected status (TPS), conditional Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), humanitarian parole, or other similar immigration category.
-
Time in the United States — less than 1 year from arriving in the U.S.
-
Resident of Washington County, MD.
-
Must have a legal pathway to lawful U.S. permanent resident status or other long-term/indefinite status.
-
RWN has capacity to assist.
Download a Criteria Checklist for referrals
Referral via email is requested for those meeting minimum requirements: refugeewelcome@harccoalition.org.
Success Stories: Read about some of the work we have been doing in these stories:
- Afghan refugee receives Certificate of Excellence for work at FedEx
- Thank you from a refugee family – July 2024
- Words of thanks, seeds of love from a refugee family – June 2024
- It’s a Boy x2 – May 2024
- Asylum Granted and a New Child Born – December 2023
- Thank you Letter from a Haitian Refugee – November 2023
- Refugee Family receives warm welcome – January 2023
Resources for Refugees and Other Immigrants
Whether or not you qualify for the RWN program, we encourage you to check out the following pages on our site with suggested resources and further links:
- Children and Family Resources
- Food, Clothing and Personal Care Resources
- Housing and Shelter Resources
- Immigrant Services and Information
I Want to Help!
Want to be part of welcoming refugees to our community? To donate financially, use our online donation form and choose the “Refugee Welcome Network” designation. To donate towards specific needs (e.g. furniture, clothing, household items, child care items, employment opportunities, etc.) or to join the network as a volunteer, contact refugeewelcome@harccoalition.org or call 301-842-4272.
Top Volunteer Needs:
- Household & Furnishings – Helps move furniture and household goods from donors to storage and from storage to the homes of refugees. Having a truck is a big plus!
- Ally – Work directly with a family (or individual) to determine their needs and coordinates with the other RWN teams to ensure the needs are met. Spend time with the family, as able, getting to know them and helping them feel welcomed into our community.
- Legal – Patient and detail-oriented individual with good writing skills assists with initial application forms for asylum, TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and EAD (employment authorization document, or work permits). No experience necessary – we will teach you.
- Fundraising – In collaboration with the Finance Team, develops and enacts fundraising programs, including direct solicitation, grants and special events.
