The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Act Now Donate
Start of main content.

News

Welcoming Through Service

Global Refuge Staff

October 1, 2025

Susan Lyke’s commitment to welcoming refugees has grown out of a lifetime of experience. She’s lived in countries like Macedonia and Pakistan, where daily life was far less secure than in the U.S., and has seen firsthand the kinds of hardship—war, poverty, persecution—that force people to flee their homes.

“Many people don’t come to the U.S. by choice, but because staying in their home countries simply isn’t safe,” says Susan, a Global Refuge donor since 2015. “My faith compels me and has shaped me to believe that where I live, there’s room for others.”

Susan channels that belief into action through her role as a Global Refuge Ambassador. Living near our Baltimore headquarters, she has volunteered in the Welcome Center serving as its very own Volunteer Coordinator, supported administrative tasks, called fellow donors to thank them, and represented Global Refuge at local events.

“I believe strongly in Global Refuge’s commitment to welcome, and it’s important to me that our nation be a place of refuge,” she says.

For Susan, welcome is something you live out through everyday actions.  “Welcome means making room for someone else, inviting them into your life, and accompanying them respectfully as they navigate the realities, challenges, and joys of a very new place,” she says. “Genuine welcome changes everybody involved as we learn from one another.”

The Latest

  • News

    March 3, 2026

    New donor-funded program fills gaps left by funding cuts

    Global Refuge launched the Post-Arrival Stability and Empowerment (PASE) program in April 2025 to fill urgent gaps for refugee families.

    Read More

  • Press Release

    February 24, 2026

    State of the Union: Immigration Policy Should Reflect America’s Laws, Values, and Global Leadership

    "Tonight presents an opportunity for the administration to eschew the chaos of the last year and instead articulate a vision for immigration that is orderly, transparent, and grounded in fact."

    Read More

  • News

    February 24, 2026

    Overcoming the Financial Challenges of the Immigrant Journey

    When war drove Tetiana from her home in Ukraine in 2023, she found refuge in the United States—along with the difficult challenges that come with starting over in a new community with unfamiliar systems.

    Read More

  • Press Release

    February 20, 2026

    Report: Thousands of Ukrainians Risk Losing Legal Status as War Enters Fifth Year

    Global Refuge today released a new policy report warning that thousands of Ukrainians living legally in the United States could soon lose work authorization and lawful status 

    Read More

  • Press Release

    February 19, 2026

    Global Refuge Denounces DHS Plan to Arrest and Detain Lawfully Admitted Refugees

    Global Refuge unequivocally condemns the Department of Homeland Security’s new directive authorizing the arrest and detention of lawfully admitted refugees who have not yet adjusted to lawful permanent resident status.

    Read More

Related Posts

News

New donor-funded program fills gaps left by funding cuts

March 3rd

More

News

Overcoming the Financial Challenges of the Immigrant Journey

February 24th

More

News

Faith, Health, and Refugee Groups Call for Increased Accountability

February 13th

More

Share