We are saying goodbye to our executive director Sam Chaise after over five years in the role. Everyone at CRWC is grateful for the contributions he has made to our organization and our cause. Sam had a few words he wanted to share as he prepares to say goodbye:
“The last 5 ½ years leading Christie Refugee Welcome Centre have been an exciting and challenging time as we navigated significant growth in programming and also faced the challenges of COVID-19. In April 2023 I will be leaving my role at CRWC and joining BMS World Mission as “Head of Program: People on the Move.”
BMS is a U.K. based church agency that wants to proactively develop its work with forcibly displaced people who are coming to Europe, primarily from the Middle East and North Africa. My job will be to grow new partnerships with local agencies and organizations in the Middle East, Africa, and Western and Eastern Europe. I will be based in Lille, France as part of a dispersed team (where my wife will be working with refugees locally).
Given the reality that our world has a record number of forcibly displaced people, I am looking forward to seeing how my work through BMS will be able to offer the same welcome, safety, and support that CRWC offers, but on a larger, regional scale.”
We are happy to announce that Manny Wong will be taking the position of Executive Director. Manny has been with Christie for over 10 years focused on fund development, reporting, finance and operations. “I feel very lucky to come into this job with such a strong and dedicated team in place at Christie,” says Manny. “I’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact Christie has had for thousands of refugee claimants and look forward to the opportunity to continue and enhance that impact.”