On February 2, 2020, Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services (Gulf Coast JFCS) will host its first Run for Refugees 5K to increase visibility of and support for refugees in the Tampa Bay area. Gulf Coast JFCS proudly greets refugees arriving in the US, connecting them to housing, providing for household goods, making connections to necessary medical and other services, helping to enroll their children in school and assisting them in accessing employers who will help them achieve self-sufficiency. The work Gulf Coast JFCS has done on behalf of displaced individuals, dating back to the 1980s and their work resettling Russian Jews, has changed Tampa Bay for the better, as our community has been enriched by the diversity of our refugee neighbors and friends.

By supporting the Run for Refugees, you will help families arriving in the US pursue their lives free from persecution. Your support will affirm the role of refugees as part of America’s narrative. Your support will undoubtedly serve as a positive example for partners across the region whom Gulf Coast JFCS hopes will also join in “welcoming the stranger.”