Refugee women honored in Grand Rapids

The Refugee Services program of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan in Grand Rapids is honoring refugee women at an event March 8 celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. Participants at "Join Me On the Bridge" will meet downtown at 5 p.m. at (venue change) Calvin College’s Ladies Literary Club, 61 Sheldon Blvd. SE, then march to the Fulton Street Bridge. A group photo will be taken and posted online to with photos of dozens of other gatherings around the world. 

At the Ladies Literary Club in Grand Rapids, people will enjoy special music by local artist Brie Stoner, hear the survival story of Florence Bish, a refugee from Congo, and help decorate a banner for use in the march. "Join Me On the Bridge" was created by Women for Women International, whose mission is "helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives." Last year's event involved more than 20,000 women in 108 events on four continents, like the one that took place last year in Sarajevo, the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina (in photo, left). The Grand Rapids event is funded in part by a grant from the North Kent Chapter, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

For more information about the event, contact Chris Cavanaugh at ccava@lssm.org or (616) 356-1934.

To read a Grand Rapids Press article with more details about this Mar. 8 event, and plus information about a separate related event the next day, Mar. 9, both sponsored by LSSM, click here.