Nancy Wolf, AJPR co-founder and board member, speaking about volunteer opportunities in front of a previous gathering. Courtesy: Bettie Forman 

By Bettie Forman  

Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees estimates they will be helping to support and settle around 200 new refugees in Austin, Texas between now and December 31, 2024 with most of those arriving between October and December. AJPR will be doing apartment set-ups, including providing furniture, household items and groceries, transportation to social security, medical and other appointments, and cultural orientations, among other tasks. Because of this influx, it is time to recruit more volunteers and bring their current volunteer base up to speed on what is happening in their refugee support community.   

AJPR, in collaboration with HIAS and Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service, invites the community to their Inaugural Volunteer Workshop on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 from 7-9 p.m. at the Dell JCC. They will appreciate their current volunteers and welcome new ones while learning about the work of resettling refugees in Austin and the volunteer needs. Attendees will hear from representatives from partners, such as HIAS and Shalom Austin.  

To learn more about a few of the organizations involved, visit hias.org or austinjewsandpartners.org.