Blog
Coming Together for a Community Mural
Caution – wet paint! Community members recently gathered to help us paint a new mural celebrating refugees and immigrants in Tompkins County. Join us for…
IWR Spring Appeal
Our Spring Appeal is live! Help raise $80,000 to give vital support to our displaced neighbors, including through crisis periods that growing numbers are experiencing.
Ithaca Welcomes Refugees is Seeking a Half-Time Development Director
Applications are due by May 6th. Read the job description and requirements here.
Meet Kadhim: Inside the Work of IWR’s Housing and Food Security Coordinator
IWR’s new staff member, Kadhim Owayez, discusses food and housing challenges faced by new arrivals and his work coordinating IWR support to alleviate them.
Dance Builds Community
Cornell’s annual PAO Bhangra Exhibition will take place on March 7th! The organizing team discuss the history, their support for IWR and details of the event.
A Decade of Volunteering for IWRÂ
Susan Tarrow, long-time volunteer and donor, tells of her experiences supporting families through resettlement hurdles and life events, and why she gives her time.
 IWR’s 2025 in Summary
IWR’s Executive Director reflects on the resettlement landscape and IWR’s work over the year as 2025 comes to an end.
On the November 26th Shooting of National Guard Troops and Linked Changes to Federal Policy on Refugees and Immigration
IWR response to this tragic incident, with information and action points on subsequent changes to federal policies on refugees and immigration.
Giving From Abundance: Krystyna’s Journey to Becoming an IWR Board Member
We hear from Krystyna Golovakova, a new member of IWR’s board of directors this year, about her experience of resettling and growth in Ithaca after…
Why I Do This: A Perspective from an IWR Supporter
An IWR supporter and retired ICSD school teacher shares her insights on IWR’s cause from her own life, and her motivation for supporting IWR over the…
Ithaca Welcomes Refugees is Hiring!
IWR is seeking a Half-Time
Housing and Food Security Coordinator. Applications are due by October 17th.
A Poetry of Care: How Khadija is Healing and Creating
For Khadija, poetry is a means of transforming pain into beauty. Resettling in Ithaca after fleeing the Taliban, she tells us her story.
Requesting Gently Used Jewelry for Fall Fundraiser
Find out how to donate gently used jewelry for the Fall Jewelry Sale Fundraiser in aid of IWR.
A Story of Human Connection: The Muralist Bringing Celebration of Immigrants to Ithaca
IWR is creating a mural celebrating refugees and immigrants. Learn about artist Hugo Medina, leading the project, and the people and ideas inspiring it.
Sowing Seeds and Growing Roots
Khurshid Hussainy arrived at Cornell University four years ago as a refugee. With IWR’s help, she has branched out beyond university life. This is her story.
10 year Anniversary Photo Competition
Seeking your pictures of Ithaca’s spirit of welcome! Extended deadline September 22. Top 12 photos will feature in a 2026 IWR calendar.
IWR Community Celebrates a Decade of Welcome at Annual Picnic
Around 80 people gathered for IWR’s 2025 community picnic this month, connecting over food and music, creating art and playing games.
IWR Spring Appeal
IWR has launched a Spring Appeal! Donate to help us reach our goal of $50,000 for programs supporting refugees and immigrants in Tompkins County.
IWR Response to Trump Administration Actions Affecting Refugees and Immigrants
Executive Director Casey Verderosa outlines how IWR has been responding to the changing landscape for refugees and immigrants over the past few months.
Meet IWR Board Member Pedro Molina
For an internationally acclaimed political cartoonist familiar with discomfort, Pedro Molina did not anticipate the physical shock of his first few days in Ithaca. He…