RetirementRevised.com: Purpose Prize winner helps immigrants adjust

Posted 12/03/2008 - 06:43:13pm by Mark Miller

Fargo, N.D., is known for cold winters and a population descended from Scandinavian and German immigrants. The town is 94 percent white and it’s an aging community–one in five residents is over age 55. But Fargo–actually a part of the bigger Fargo-Moorhead metro area that straddles North Dakota and Minnesota–isn’t a stranger to diversity. The town has seen an influx of about 3,700 refugees over the past 10 years from more than 40 war-torn countries as part of a federal resettlement program that helps immigrants start new lives here. The immigrants come from countries like Iraq and Somalia, Bosnia and–most
recently–Burundi. Most often, they arrive with little knowledge of English, let alone how to apply for a job, food stamps or a driver’s license.

The influx of immigrants has had a profound impact on the life of Michelle McRae, a college professor who retired in 2001 but soon found herself at the helm of a non-profit group working to smooth the integration of Fargo-Moorhead’s newcomers.

McRae has grown the organization, Giving+Learning, into a volunteer operation of more than 500 people. The group started by doing English language tutoring, but has expanded to help refugees get their GEDs, pass driver’s license exams and find employment. Along the way, McRae has learned life-changing lessons about breaking down social barriers across age, culture, race and ethnicity.

“We are pretty much a white community and out of the mainstream, so the changes have caused some tensions,” she notes. “But if you are helping someone and sitting across the kitchen table tutoring that person in English, it’s difficult not to recognize that it’s another human being. The connections have been very positive.”

McRae’s work has just been recognized with a 2008 Purpose Prize. The award, given annually by the Encore Careers campaign–recognizes trailblazers who have demonstrated creative and effective work tackling social problems. This year, the winners were chosen from 1,000 nominees; six winners will receive $100,000 prizes, with another nine recipients getting $10,000 awards.

Read the full story at RetirementRevised.com.

• Login or register to post comments
• Email this page