today, join us for the world refugee day celebration!

Keeping the flame of hope alive - celebrating the work of Waitstill and Martha Sharp at Rhode Island's World Refugee Day Celebration.

Please join the International Institute of Rhode Island, the Mayor of Providence, The Diocese of Providence, Plan USA, and numerous other organizations to celebrate World Refugee Day:

Monday, May 14th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, corner of Benevolent and Benefit Streets in Providence.

This year’s event will salute the indomitable spirit and courage of the world’s refugees, giving them the support and respect they deserve.  It will also honor the life-saving work of Martha and Waitstill Sharp during the Second World War by presenting the first annual “Waitstill and Martha Sharp Award for Refugee Service” to three outstanding individuals who have supported Rhode Island’s new refugee arrivals for decades.

The Honorable William Twaddell, former US Ambassador to Liberia, Mauritania and Nigeria will serve as Master of Ceremonies.  The program is open to the public and will feature profiles in refugee hope and courage told by individual refugees from around the globe, along with musical and dance performances and light refreshments.   Artemis Joukowsky, III will speak on the work of his grandparents, the Sharps, and Providence Mayor David Cicilline will present the first annual “Waitstill and Martha Sharp Award for Refugee Service” to Martha and Artemis Joukowsky and Toua Kue, a Hmong refugee who arrived 25 years ago and works as an accredited caseworker with the Diocese of Providence.

For more information, please contact Sarah Parrott at 401.784.8634 or sparrott@iiri.org