[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 20, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SERVICES CENTER OF CLEVELAND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 20, 2012

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the International 
Services Center of Cleveland, Ohio, which is observing World Refugee 
Day on June 20, 2012, with an evening of international food, music, 
friendship, and celebration of all refugees who call Northeast Ohio 
``home.''
  The International Services Center (ISC) was founded in 1916. The ISC 
settles refugees through the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants 
(USCRI), of which it is a partner agency. Thousands of refugees are 
brought to the United States every year because they cannot return to 
their home countries and do not enjoy basic rights in the countries 
where they sought refuge. Hundreds are resettled in Ohio.
  The International Services Center helps these refugees integrate 
quickly into the Greater Cleveland community by providing them with the 
tools of self-reliance: housing, job placement, employment skills, 
clothing, medical attention, education, English-language classes, and 
community orientation. The ISC offers other services as well, including 
immigration consultation and representation, interpretation and 
translation, citizenship preparation, acculturation classes, anti-
trafficking, and urban agriculture for entrepreneurship.
  The International Services Center has helped resettle 106 refugees in 
the past year alone. Since the office opened in 1916, more than 13,000 
refugees from many countries have embarked on a path to reach their 
full potential and enjoy safety, security, and a second chance in life.
  World Refugee Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation 
of refugees domestically and throughout the world. Refugees are a 
testament to the United States' long, proud history as a sanctuary for 
those who seek lives free from violence and oppression. World Refugee 
Day is an opportunity for the entire Cleveland-area community to come 
together to celebrate the contributions of our friends and neighbors 
who are immigrants and refugees who bring great diversity to enrich the 
Northeast Ohio region.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in celebrating World 
Refugee Day and acknowledging the important work of Cleveland's 
International Services Center.

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