Here is a short AP story at The Republic of Columbus, Indiana. Apparently Appleton is a target city, among 6 others in Wisconsin, to receive the blessings of diversity—all kinds are on the way!
The resettlement program is only three years old in Appleton—that is very new.
However, the chance of extricating itself from the situation is limited because with a DIVERSITY COORDINATOR on the city payroll, she will be working 9-5 to bring in the diversity and thus, in my opinion, dooming Appleton’s economic and social ‘future.’
From The Republic (emphasis mine):
APPLETON, Wisconsin — Plans are underway in eastern Wisconsin to resettle about 75 refugees from conflict zones around the world.
The nonprofit organization World Relief Fox Valley* is coordinating health screenings, housing and integration services for the refugees coming from Congo, Iraq and Myanmar in 2014. World Relief will work to help the refugees search for jobs that match their skills.
It is the third year for the operation, which has already resettled 174 people, mainly from Myanmar. Others have arrived from Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Darfur, said Myriam Mwizerwa, the Oshkosh office director.
“We’re expecting 135 in the next year, with about 75 of them in the Appleton area,” Mwizerwa told Post-Crescent Media (http://post.cr/1ioesLt). “We don’t get notification about who is coming and when until about two weeks before they arrive.”
With the first refugees expected to arrive in January, nonprofits, schools and city officials are coordinating efforts.
“Our goal is self-sufficiency,” Mwizerwa said. “We have to get everyone in an employment position within a year and work to find industries that match skills.”
Appleton’s diversity coordinator Kathy Flores said she will be working with churches, synagogues and mosques to prepare accommodations.
“These individuals have faced some trauma in their home countries and are coming here for some very serious reasons, and we’re excited to be helpful and welcoming,” Flores said.
Diversity coordinator! Do you have one in your town?
I see in 2011 there was quite a controversy involving Flores, a gay rights activist, and whether the city should fund such a position. Apparently she survived the fight, because here she is with the Mayor on Election night 2012.
What are the six target cities for refugee resettlement in Wisconsin, according to this story from earlier in the year they are:
Appleton, Barron, Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee and Oshkosh
For readers arriving at RRW for the first time, you might find our “fact sheet” very helpful. Click here.
*World Relief Fox Valley is an affiliate of World Relief Corp.National Association of Evangelicals which is one of nine major federal refugee contractors. In the most recently available Form 990 World Relief had an income of $52 million and $34 million came from you, the US taxpayer. None of this could be happening in Wisconsin or anywhere else in the US if the taxpayers weren’t paying the bills.