Join us onsite at Woodland Center or online on Zoom

RIC-Spokane: Integrating and
Transitioning Refugees and Immigrants
Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane (RICS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission to support refugee and immigrant communities by providing services, fostering community bonds, and advocating for refugee and immigrant rights in the Inland Northwest, and we envision a multicultural community where everyone can thrive. To achieve our goals, we bring people together, provide opportunities for connection and for fostering relationships, and provide case management to overcome barriers to thriving.

Brimo Nyinkuany is the Assistant Executive Director at Refugee and Immigrant Connections of Spokane.  His role there is to connect refugees and immigrants with community resources. RIC also reaches out to community advocates regarding the issues that are affecting immigrants and refugees, e.g, housing; immigration laws; policing; and, language equities.  RIC also helps them by conducting  small business workshops. Brimo came from South Sudan to the United States in 2004, fleeing the Civil War there. He speaks Swahili and Sudanese Arabic. 

Kathryn Garras, our other guest, has been the Executive Director of Refugee and Immigrant Connections-Spokane since July 2021. Kathryn worked in local and state childcare advocacy as well as in nonprofits serving families. She has a degree in Political Science from Western Washington University and interned with the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees in Athens, Greece.