News posts about ODFR and our interactions with the local community. Also includes content about past ODFR events.
Community gathers together at Olin Park On July 9, refugee families, OFDR volunteers, and other community members gathered at Madison’s beautiful Olin Park for Open Doors for Refugees’ annual summer picnic. “One of the things that we like about having this annual picnic is it’s a time for everyone to come together,” Sallie Pisera, an […]
You’re invited to a potluck picnic! On Sunday, July 9th from 12-4pm at the Olin Park Pavilion in Madison, Open Doors for Refugees will host a picnic celebrating diversity and community. Come meet neighbors and enjoy an afternoon of delicious food, activities for all ages, and engaging music and dance entertainment representing the diversity of […]
ODFR recently partnered with the Aldo Leopold Nature Center to host a family nature day at Elver Park! Though the weather wasn’t what we’d hoped for, we are so appreciative of the families for coming out and the ALNC for their awesome programming! This event included fun activities about animal skins, skulls, and scat, in […]
ODFR’s “sewing machine lady” is Karen Cornwell, who for years has been gifting newly arrived refugees, seniors, and low-income individuals with sewing machines via a variety of organizations. “It comes in spurts,” she says. “In the past couple months, working with JSS and ODFR, I think we’ve delivered 20 machines to women from Afghanistan, the […]
ODFR couldn’t operate without its warehouses: when newcomer families arrive with little notice, ODFR & JSS volunteers collaborate, setting up apartments fast with donated furniture and housewares collected from all over Madison and stored in donated warehouse space. Here are five things you might not know about ODFR’s warehouses!
In his eloquent appearance on Channel 3000 to promote the 2023 Freeze for Food, Farhan A. shared the eight-year-long road to his dream job as a microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin. Farhan and his family fled Iraq and arrived in Madison in 2014, under auspices of the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Madison’s Lutheran Social […]
Update: Thank you, we are no longer taking applications. After seven years of operation, dozens of partner organizations, scores of refugee families, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of supporters, Open Doors has grown beyond our ability to manage and operate as an all-volunteer organization. Accordingly, we are looking to hire a half-time Administrative Associate. While this […]
Interested in helping out? Send an email to volunteers@odfr.org. Helping with Housewares A volunteer is needed to be part of a small team responsible for cleaning and organizing housewares used for setting up apartments for refugee families. Tasks This work also includes packing up all housewares needed to furnish kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms when apartments […]
406 runners and 50 volunteers participated in the event last Saturday, taking part in a 5k or 10k marathon by Lake Wingra. Roughly $15k has been donated – thanks all who participated! Check out the Freeze for Food Facebook page for more photos and post about it if you were able to attend!
Update 1/13/23: Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help with data migration! Open Doors is no longer seeking volunteers for the data migration team, but welcomes you to visit the Volunteer page to find out about other ways you can support Open Doors’ mission. Open Doors is looking for volunteers to pick up […]
