ECDC
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A Wausau resident will serve as the new director of the Multicultural Community Center which will be operated in Wausau and sponsored by the Ethiopian Community Development Council which is based in Arlington Virginia.
Adam VanNoord will run the center and says the facility will ” welcome and partner with refugees who are seeking to establish and rebuild their lives “. He says “I’m eager to see this tradition continue here in Wausau, as it has with the Hmong-American Community”.
VanNoord started his professional life in graphic design and then chose to pursue a career in international humanitarian work. He worked for five years as the Field Director with Not Forgotten International, a Wisconsin based non-profit serving refugees in Southwest Algeria.
According to a press release from the ECDC, VanNoord will be responsible for coordinating with community stakeholders and preparing to meet the needs of refugees related to employment, affordable housing, health care, and education.
A spokesperson for the ECDC said earlier this week that the group expects about ten refugees to come to Wausau by the end of the year, with around 75 more by next October. The refugees are heavily vetted before being re-located.
The organization works with other communities around the country on the effort to help people who cannot return to their country because of various forms of discrimination and persecution. Wausau and a community in Vermont are new cities that will be part of the program.
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