Walk with the World!

Kathy Villemure, a local retired health care chaplain, is planning to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela – a nearly 500-mile pilgrimage across Spain - in May and June. She has decided to set up a fundraiser for Refugee Connections Spokane and their work to lift up refugees and immigrants in this community. Kathy says, "The idea  to make this pilgrimage is Divinely inspired. When I first heard about the Camino a few years ago, I thought people who considered it were nuts! But I keep getting nudges and God-winks. I know this pilgrimage is for my soul and for my own transformation. I have the feeling it will change my life." 
 
Although I really know very little about the plight of refugees, it's been on my mind for some time that it's totally unfair that a person like me - a privileged American with means and time and freedom and with quality shoes and backpack - can fly to Spain to walk the Camino while others are fleeing for their lives with little or nothing. I'd like to walk in solidarity with them somehow - what's it like to walk 500 miles!? 
 
I wondered if my walking could also benefit refugees in some way. Is there a way people could pledge so much a mile or kilometer that I walk, or for the entire pilgrimage, to a local non-profit for refugee assistance? A penny a mile would be $5.00 - that is...if I could actually walk 500 miles! So, i contacted Refugee Connections Spokane and they got the ball rolling.
 
This is not a political idea - I know the plight of refugees is very controversial and very complex. But it's a humanitarian idea - to support people who have come with the clothes on their backs, and to support those who work with them. 

Your gift of 10 cents a mile or $50 transports refugees for the Refugees’ Harvest Project

Provides opportunities for refugees to pick fruits and vegetables to contribute to the health of low income and refugee communities.

Your gift of 20 cents a mile or $100 aids Cross-Cultural Navigators in the Refugee Elder Outreach Program 

Engages Refugee and Immigrant seniors in ESL classes, civic and cultural field trips, Citizenship classes, Music as a First Language, workshops on elder services and community events. 

Your gift of  $1.00 per mile or $500 helps us launch Refugee Stories: Voices of Hope

Highlights the gifts of refugees and immigrants in our Spokane area through storytelling, whether in writing, audio or video formats, to publish on our website, Facebook and social media platforms.

Your gift of $5.00 a mile or $2500 mentors youth through Refugee Kids Connect

Promotes leadership, engages with the community, builds confidence, assists with education and English, and creates a safe space for youth to integrate into a new culture while also preserving and embracing cultural traditions. 
We will post updates as Kathy walks in solidarity with the world! Please note as a memo or e-mail us at rcs@refugeeconnectionsspokane.org to let us know your contribution is for the Camino Pilgrimage Fundraiser. Please send checks to: Refugee Connections Spokane, 35 W. Main Ave. Ste 205, Spokane, WA 99201.