About

Who Are Refugees?

A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal, and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries. To learn more and for current statistics on refugees, visit UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency.

Who Are We?

Cazenovia Welcomes Refugees (CWR) is a group of dedicated neighbors working with refugees and with other residents of Cazenovia to create a welcoming place for refugees to live, work, go to school, and enjoy recreation

Our Vision

We believe refugees bring new perspectives, economic growth, and cultural richness to our nation and to Cazenovia.
Settling refugees as new Americans in Cazenovia will strengthen the civic fiber and compassionate heart of our community.
We all benefit as we create connections across diverse cultures and experiences.

History

How can a small community like Cazenovia respond to a challenge like the global refugee crisis?

That is the question that members of the Common Grounds Challenge Grant committee considered in the Spring 2016 while discussing opportunities to inspire a community-wide initiative to engage multiple constituent groups to meet a community need.
In the Fall 2017, the “Cazenovia Welcomes Refugees” steering committee included representation from education, government, faith communities, non-profit groups, refugee resettlement organizations, civic organizations, businesses, and private citizens was formed to guide our work in partnership with the Center for New Americans program of Interfaith Works in Syracuse.
During 2017 and 2018, we held community forum events at the Cazenovia Public Library, Cazenovia College, and the American Legion. Discussions included information about the refugee resettlement process, impact of policies on refugee arrivals in the US, and options in Cazenovia for affordable housing.
In August 2018, CWR celebrated the arrival of our first resettled refugee family in Cazenovia
In July 2022, we welcomed a 2nd family to Cazenovia.