HOUSTON (September 3, 2020) – On Wednesday, October 14, 2020, friends of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Interfaith Ministries) will gather virtually for an exclusive, online event to benefit the organization’s Refugee Services program. For All Humanity – An IM Celebration of New Americans will feature a virtual panel interview with successful Houstonians who emigrated from different countries, musical performances by The Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians, and a catered dinner delivered to patrons and their guests.
The event theme, “Finding Home a World Away”, ties in with media sponsor Houstonia magazine’s March 2020 issue highlighting some of Houston’s own success stories featuring local refugees and immigrants. The program will honor Reverend John Wurster, senior pastor of St. Philip Presbyterian Church as Interfaith Ministries’ 2020 Humanitarian of the Year.
The panelists to be interviewed include: Fady Armanious, creative director at Tootsie’s; Samir Becic, City of Houston Fitness Czar; Alan Gonzales, fashion designer and Project Runway designer; Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge; Pitsami Norm, CEO and founder of P.S. Affairs; and Gordon Quan, nationally recognized immigration attorney. They will share their stories of leaving their homelands for the United States and finding success in Houston. The celebrity panel discussion will be moderated by Dianna Wray, editor-in-chief of Houstonia Magazine.
St. Philip Presbyterian Church is the event presenting sponsor. TRIO Community Meals is the dinner sponsor. This event is sponsored by and planned in partnership with Houstonia Magazine.
Refugees have been granted that status by the United Nations and are fleeing their home countries due to war or persecution. They go through a comprehensive vetting process involving multiple federal agencies. Interfaith Ministries provides a variety of support services designed to empower each refugee to quickly and successfully acculturate to American life. Over 90% of the refugees served are self-sufficient within six months of arrival in the United States.
“These families are often traumatized by the experiences that led them to flee their countries, yet they are also very resilient,” shared Ali Al Sudani, chief programs officer for Interfaith Ministries and a former refugee from Iraq who assisted American and British troops in his home country before having to flee.
Tickets for the fundraising event start at $200 and virtual tables for ten guests start at $2,500. Tickets, tables and sponsorships may be purchased at: https://www.imgh.org/events/for-all-humanity/. For more information, please contact Brandi Ledet, assistant director for Special Events at Interfaith Ministries at bledet@imgh.org or 713.533.4925.