On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump took office and immediately began enacting immigration policies aimed to deport undocumented immigrants. Both President Trump’s policies that test the limits of executive power and his rhetoric attempt to exclude noncitizens from American society. 

However, as his policies unfold, Welcoming Falls Church, a local nonprofit that fosters hospitality and opportunity for refugees, remains committed to building a “community of neighbors.”

Co-Founders Christine Buchholz and Paul Boesen began Welcoming Falls Church in 2018, along with the expertise and help of FCCPS English Language Learner (ELL) teacher Hannah Jordan. They aimed to make our community stronger by unifying people with a variety of experiences and talents.

Buchholz highlighted that in order for the organization to be successful, they collaborate with FCCPS, the city government, private partners, and volunteers. 

The trio established the Adult and Family Literacy Center through their partnership with FCCPS, which takes place on weekday nights at Oak Street Elementary. Classes at the center integrate refugees into the community by giving them an access point of society: language. While parents participate in classes, kids engage in activities that promote literacy and communication skills.    

Initiatives such as this allow for the community to get involved. For instance, senior Katherine Steyn focused her Girl Scout Gold Award project towards providing packets of materials to complement basic English and reading instruction at the literacy center, and she designed a manual to guide others who sought to donate literacy packets.

Steyn said she also volunteered at the literacy center and was glad that the resources she collected and donated “had an impact on how [the families] learn English.”

Additionally, along with the city government, resettlement agencies, and local landlords, the organization generates space for refugee families arriving in Falls Church. Through the Falls Church Welcoming Refugees Initiative and Fund, the organization has pooled thousands of dollars in donations, including $50,000 of city government support to subsidize the program. The fund pays for part of the refugee family’s rent for their first two years in Falls Church, and assists them in their job search so they can plant roots in our community. 

Recently, WFC collaborated with City Council, artist Sarah Guro, Meridian art teacher Ms. Christine Leigh, and FCCPS Artist In Residence Mr. Marc Robarge to develop a new welcome sign at City Hall, and it was unveiled in early December. They designed a blossoming tree that grows above a collection of “welcome” greetings in a variety of languages, organized to look like water. Buchholz said the sign is meant to represent values like inclusion, which help our community flourish.  

If you’d like to contribute to WFC’s mission, the first step is to focus on how you interact with new faces. Buchholz said that “making eye contact and saying hello” to new community members goes a long way. Anyone can take part in events that support inclusion, such as Thanksgiving dinner, International Night, or volunteer in the English literacy activity programs. 

Buchholz reiterated that their events provide all attendees to share “mutuality.” A space where “everyone has assets they bring” and no community is neither superior nor inferior. 

Meridian also has a WFC Club that anyone can join and have the opportunity to volunteer in WFC initiatives. Members of leadership include juniors Macy Brock, Catherine Buchholz, and Benazir Ghaznavi, sophomore Aislin Beaupain, and senior Ben Kozbelt. Ms. Pam Mahony is their sponsor. “The whole idea of creating a neighborhood and a community for people coming to this country is a great thing,” Brock said, referencing the WFC mission. 

The club runs a summer camp for children of refugees, makes care packages for families, recruits volunteers for the literacy center, and fundraises for WFC. Brock said they aim to “provide service opportunities for those who are interested and support WFC in whatever way they need.” 

“The whole idea of creating a neighborhood and a community for people coming to this country is a great thing,” 

If you would like to join the club, reach out to a leadership member, come to meetings, and keep an eye out for opportunities such as literacy center volunteer training. 

Despite the uncertainty, Welcoming Falls Church remains committed to its programs. Buchholz aims to “make sure people have the skills and resources to flourish here.”