Catholic Charities volunteer takes to the streets to raise funds, awareness for migrants and refugees

Sometimes all one needs to take a long journey is a bit of
motivation.

Kasim Hasan, a management consultant who volunteers for Catholic
Charities Migration and Refugee Services, got a firsthand look at the program’s
services that assist refugees, asylees and other newcomers to the United States,
and decided he wanted to do more to support those served by the program.

In January, Hasan, an avid runner, decided to take to the streets
to raise funds for the MRS program. He ran trails throughout Falls Church,
Springfield and Lorton, as well as trekked up and down his neighborhood on
colder days. Hasan initially pledged to run 200 miles, taking the averages of
distances traveled by Rohingya, South Sudanese and Syrian refugees in 2016
(according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). But he
increased his goal and logged 320 miles in the month of January, spreading
awareness and raising funds in the process. 

 “In the end, it wore me
out a little bit but my empathy toward refugees who I was running in solidarity
with grew and grew,” said Hasan. 

 “Kasim generously donated
his time to helping recently arrived refugees with updating their resumes and
learning about the U.S. job interview process and the D.C. area job
market.  As a child of immigrants, Kasim
knows the challenges our clients face,” said MRS staff member Laurel
Collins.  “We are so grateful to Kasim
for his care and compassion for the clients we serve and for lending his
professional expertise.”