MEDIA RELEASE

Media Alert
For Immediate Release
June 8, 2009

Contact: Jane Simpson, Director of Public Relations, Lutheran Family Services, (402) 978-5646, cell (402) 690-7344 or jsimpson@lfsneb.org, or

Carol Tucker, Lutheran Family Services, (402) 536-3518 or ctucker@lfsneb.org, or

Susan Mayberger, World Refugee Day Chairperson, (402) 557-2431 or susan.mayberger@ops.org

Public invited to World Refugee Day celebration June 20

Omaha, Neb. - The Refugee Task Force of Omaha presents the annual World Refugee Day celebration Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Benson High School, 5120 Maple Street in Omaha. The event, free and open to the public, is to educate the community on refugee issues and celebrate cultural diversity. Omaha is home to thousands of refugees from various parts of the world.

The day will include a parade of flags, an educational program on refugee issues, musical and dance performances by various refugee groups, lunch, vendors with hand-made items, a fashion show, awards ceremony, children's carnival and athletic events. The planning committee is anticipating over 1,000 participants.

The program begins at 10 a.m. with a parade of flags and welcome from Omaha Public Schools, Southern Sudan Community Association, Somali Bantu Association, Karen Society of Nebraska, Lutheran Family Services and the International Center of the Heartland. There will be a dance presentation by the International Day Care children, local refugee presentations, a Sudanese Choir performance and festive dances by the Karen and Hmong Communities. At 11:30 educational panels include stories by refugees and asylees about political situations and the process of how refugees come to the U.S. Panelists are from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan. Additional presentations will be about the Darfur situation, information on the Karen Community and the process for sponsoring a refugee family.

An awards ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. with a fashion show to follow. Countries represented include Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Burma (Myanmar), Somalia, Togo, Burundi, Iraq and Kenya. Volleyball and soccer games conclude the activities.

World Refugee Day sponsors include the Refugee Task Force of Omaha, Lutheran Family Services, Omaha Public Schools, Tyson Meats, Wells Fargo, No Frills Supermarkets, Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services, Justman Brush Company and Nebraska Methodist College.