Paul Thompson
Northeast News

A cacophony of happy voices greeted attendees at the 11th annual World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 23 on the campus Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Organized by Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), the event is designed for the refugee population of Kansas City to share their food, culture, music and more. Additionally, a plethora of community partners shared information about existing services which aim to make the refugee resettlement process in Kansas City as smooth as possible.

Martin Okpareke, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for JVS, spoke to the Northeast News about the atmosphere of the June 23 event.
“The feeling is a little more awesome when I see the smile on refugees’ faces,” Okpareke said. “Because this just shows that all of Kansas City is welcoming.”

“When people are forced to flee their homelands, they don’t have a choice of where they go,” Okpareke added. “To give them a feeling of self-worth, and to give them a feeling of hope, it lets them know that regardless of the color of our skins, our different languages, our different cultures, that we are all humans and we care for one another…I’m so happy and I’m so proud of Kansas City.”