Hearts & Homes For Refugees

Hello, since the day we entered America as a refugee, we got to know the hearts and homes of these beautiful people.

Sajjad

In 2015, some amazing people got together to see what they could do to help refugees fleeing from the Syrian war. Since then, Hearts and Homes for Refugees has become the leading grassroots organization of the welcoming movement in Westchester County. Hearts and Homes has resettled many families from all over the world, supported the other resettlement groups in the county, advocated for refugees with government officials, faith communities and civic groups and provided assistance in the many ways refugees, asylees, and SIVs need to acclimate to their new lives.

The volunteers work with passion and generosity. This is an amazing organization!

I volunteer with Hearts & Homes helping resettle refugee families. Their staff is among the most hard-working and resourceful I’ve ever seen. Their model of pulling together diverse religious organizations to pool volunteers and donations to support refugee families in their first year in the United States is highly effective and a very positive experience for volunteers.

We’ve followed and donated to HHR for many years and have seen firsthand their tireless dedication to refugees. They’ve continued to expand the ways they help refugee families while staying true to their mission and engaging volunteers in their local community. They’ll continue to do incredible work especially with continued support from donations and community volunteers.

I am proud to be a volunteer with Hearts & Homes for Refugees. This is an organization that really gets things done, helps refugees in the most meaningful ways - and does it all responsibly and with heart. It is my honor to support their initiatives!

Heart & Homes For Refugees is doing a valuable services.
Hearts & Homes for Refugees is an incredible organization with an expansive mission to increase, not only aid to refugees, but awareness and education to others.
This organization is helping to build a community of trust and hope. 
Thank you " Heart & Home For Refugees" team and leadership for your incredible performance and services for humanity.

A team of compassionate leaders, caring volunteers and strong advocates. Hearts & Homes continued to create opportunities to educate and inspire their community, even throughout the pandemic. They showed the utmost resilience in the face of the challenges that this past year brought. I am inspired daily by their mission, their strength and their willingness to navigate new possibilities and challenges. Their focus on educating and advocating in their community and beyond, and their vision of expanding their model of welcoming and advocacy makes me proud to be a part of the work they do.

Hearts and Homes is a wonderful organization that has helped so many people! The leadership team is impeccable and a pleasure to work with. They do amazing work and really care about the people they’re helping.

Hearts & Homes for Refugees assisted my group when we sponsored a refugee family from Afghanistan. Since they had done this before, they became our mentors. They helped us find an apartment for the family & assisted with resume writing & interviewing skills as the refugees look for employment. All of this was especially critical as we were doing it through the pandemic.

Hearts and Homes organizes drives for school supplies, winter coats & boots for the refugee community in Westchester. They assist the new arrivals acclimate to their new communities, help them enroll children in schools & access medical care.

I am proud to know them & be a part of their Welcome Refugees mission.

I am a member of a church who helped two (so far, and no doubt more at some point) refugee families. Many of us donated items these families needed, got to know the families and have stayed in touch occasionally. In all cases Hearts and Homes was there to help us with any questions, concerns, logistics, absolutely leading us through the process. They have a wonderful organization who cares for people and knows how to work through all kinds of issues and problems the families or the donors have. And they speak many languages which is SO helpful!

I was brought onto the board of Hearts and Homes for Refugees because I am a professional fundraiser and deeply believe in refugee resettlement with peace and respect. I was recruited by its amazing founder, Kathie O’Callaghan, who is the most positive, determined, creative, visionary with whom I have ever been graced to work. Her vision was to create a refugee welcoming and support movement first in our town, Pelham, and then provide the model throughout Westchester County. There were questions about whether this location was right for this world-wide plea for help.

In order to proceed we prepared for our first open meeting. Hearts and Homes for Refugees invited the entire town of Pelham, as well as its surrounding neighbors. We prepared professional introductory and contribution materials to support the presentations. Would anyone come? Does anyone care? Will they join our efforts?

That first meeting was in the basement of one of our community churches. The materials were laid out. Chairs were lined up, theater style, throughout the space. Different board members brought snacks. Others were prepared to speak. And then, we waited.

And, to our profound excitement and gratitude, before the meeting even began, there was a body in every seat in the house. The snacks were already gone. An air of excitement of something new and uplifting, filled the room. Kathie opened the night. She spoke inspirationally to the urgent need for Americans, despite the prevailing political winds, to step up and commit to helping, the unprecedented, not thousands but millions of desperate international refugees. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was listening carefully to each presentation.

As soon as the meeting was over, after a flurry of thoughtful questions and comments, people started to proceed to the front of the room. But to my fundraising glee, they did not head to the door. They headed to the table with information and donation forms. Checks were stuffed into my hands. Nearly everyone was filling out forms to offer a variety of services from money to beds to couches. We ran out of pens. They waited in turn to use the ones provided.

With a collective sigh of relief and happiness, we realized that Pelham, and its neighbors, had opened their hearts! There was indeed a place for this effort in Westchester County. There are so many people who oppose the bans that restrict the resettlement of refugees who are in dire situations. Our Statue of Liberty, and what it represents, remains relevant.

Hearts and Homes has started a model of community refugee support that is spreading throughout Westchester County. One woman with a vision, Kathie O’Callaghan, has influenced thousands of lives already. The energy and commitment that those first days generated have set the standard. There are many people, from all corners of life, who care about those in need. We are all marching forward. And I am proud to be a part of it.

This organization is helping to build a community of trust and hope. We are living in times that are pushing us towards unknown territories, while Hearts and Homes is taking care of voiceless community members and reminds everyone that we are all humans.

For the past three years, Hearts and Homes has provided Students for Refugees (Westchester’s local student refugee-aid group) invaluable mentorship and support in connecting with the local refugee community. They have helped us set up events, form meaningful bonds with many families, and have constantly energized/empowered our growing group to fight for a more inclusive, compassionate county!

In only a few short years, Hearts and Homes for Refugees has grown from a host organization to a county wide non-profit supporting refugees, educating the community about and advocating for all those who come to our shores seeking safety and freedom. Their work is amazing! I am so proud to be a part of this organization.

Hearts and Homes for Refugees is a fantastic nonprofit. Not only do they mobilize an incredible number of volunteers in their community to do important work alongside their refugee neighbors, but they also help educate the community and advocate for refugees at local, state, and national levels.

Kathie does such a thoughtful job of creating resources for those in her community to learn more: from a list of literature about refugee experiences to sharing the most recent news and events so volunteers can engage as advocates.

I have known and worked with Hearts and Homes folks for more than two years. I serve on Board of Neighbors for Refugees in nearby community and we’ve worked closely on same goals. We have worked together on refugee drives, advocacy action events, and more. This is a great organization I am proud to support.

Compassionate leadership, paired with caring volunteers - working to make a difference in the lives of refugees. President, Kathie O’Callaghan, started this organization out of sheer will, love and devotion. In a time when refugees are being turned away in droves, Hearts And Homes is a beacon of light and hope for those wishing for a better way of life and future.

I have been a donor to Hearts and Homes for Refugees for three years and during this time I have been very impressed with the comprehensive and excellent outreach they perform for the resettlement of refugee families. In addition to supplying numerous services, such as housing, transport, educational assistance, legal advice and access to medical care, they also do advocacy on behalf of refugee policy at local and national levels, and also send out a monthly newsletter that keeps us all informed of many actions and events taking place throughout Westchester County and even in New York City.

The first organization in Westchester County NY to host a refugee family in the area, HHR has lead the way in offering practical and loving support to people who have been granted humanitarian relief by the US gov't, including asylees, refugees and other people of documented status. Led by Kathy O'Callaghan, HHR has also helped support more local efforts in communities across the county, lending expertise to other groups seeking to advocate for and support these new American families.

This organization does extraordinary things for refugees here in Westchester County. I offered to help in a small way by collecting items for a family and was overwhelmed by the rush of support and good will from everyone in the organization, who were happy to help me in helping this family. I believe the strong network of volunteers at every level of participation within Hearts and Homes for Refugees is key to their success. Most importantly, they provide a lifeline to those who are searching for a better life, at a time when so many others have turned a blind eye.

Hearts and Homes for Refugees has taken initiative to make many more people across Westchester County aware of the challenges facing refugees and has creatively developed productive paths for volunteers with a range of backgrounds and skills to contribute productively to help refugee individuals and families to become familiar with their new communities and to live independently.

I have been involved with Hearts and Homes for Refugees (HHR) since its early phases. What attracted me from the beginning was the direct nature of its structure in response to one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. HHR has a clear mission - to support refugees in their resettlement process, and, to continue to provide the programs and services needed once they are here. Its work is supported by a large, organized, passionate and committed volunteer force and their financial contributions, who have decided to dedicate their time, energy and money to this challenging endeavor - based on the current political climate.

HHR has already settled one Syrian family in lower Westchester, and has decided to continue to provide services to refugees/migrants and SIVs who are living in the area and continue to need a helping hand. HHR has brought many small volunteer and like-minded groups together under one umbrella, to form The Westchester Refugee Initiative, for greater county-wide impact.

HHR is a role model volunteer-driven not-for profit organization that can be adopted across the country, to help unify concerned and committed citizens who want to take action in support of the many refugees who deserve and need our support.

I am proud to be a board member and a part of this great effort founded and run by Kathie O'Callaghan.

Joan F. Morgan