READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE U.S. FY2026 REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CAP AND PRIORITIZATION
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Blog

What Would Mister Rogers Say Now?

"Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man’s dignity and integrity… When I was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence." - Rabbi Joachim Prinz

June 19, 2018

Bands for Refugees - Success!

Thank you to all who volunteered time, talents, and gifts! And, to everyone who attended, thank you for the gift of your presence! Those who are refugees among us (in person and online) see your presence and it sends them a message that there are people who care!

June 17, 2018

Give the Gift of You

When my husband and I moved to a new city as newlyweds 10 years ago, I began looking for a way to get involved in the community. My husband was in school and working, and I had evenings and weekends with free time to spare.

June 13, 2018

Event

Band for Refugees: Event Line-up

Check out the line-up of musicians and bands, food and other goods, you can expect to find at this incredible event!

June 10, 2018

Event

Upcoming Event: Bands for Refugees

Mark your calendars! Come enjoy a night of entertainment, food, and friends! All donations will go to helping our refugee friends. It's a super fun and easy way to make a big difference!

May 31, 2018

The Motivating Power of Hope and Resilience

Their stories help me understand what is it that leads a person to abandon home, family and friends, to leave behind culture and country, to uproot oneself from everything that has contributed to one’s identity, and to travel a road paved with uncertainty, danger, and possible death to a foreign place where there is no friend. Their stories help me understand the motivating power of hope and resilience.

May 26, 2018

Book Review

Men Are Vulnerable, Too

Winter was approaching and the only explanation I can fathom for why these men were treated like they were less than animals is because people felt threatened by their presence and perceived them to be an invincible, menacing force. In reality, men are vulnerable precisely because we perceive them to be invincible.

May 23, 2018

"Let Me Tell You My Story" - Book of Refugee Stories, Available Soon

". . .the people inside this remarkable volume of exquisite photography and stories of resilience will teach you that the surest way to draw humans together begins with the words "I want to tell you my story . . ."

May 18, 2018

Our Common Denominators

No one country can solve the migration crisis alone. No single organization can relieve the human suffering taking place. However, linked together, united and connected, we are stronger than the sum of our parts. Common solutions based on reaching out and pulling in will not only save untold lives, but it will define our success as individuals, and our future as a human family.

May 13, 2018

Book Review

Our Focus on the One

Our camera has one lens, our clipboard one pen, and as we sit knee to knee and look into that one person’s eyes and focus for that moment in time on that one story there is no question that for him or her our efforts mean everything.

May 10, 2018
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What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.