Bishop Solis's Advent Message

Friday, Feb. 21, 2025

A donor has offered to match donations to Catholic Community Services of Utah up to $25,000. The deadline for this match is Feb. 28. 

Aden Batar, director of CCS’ migration and refugee services, is thankful to the anonymous donor and to all who will contribute matching funds, but he is worried that the amount is not enough to serve the clients his organization is already committed to helping.

 “We need more resources so we can continue doing these vital services, because when you’re serving over a thousand people” the costs are tremendous, he said.

CCS helps refugees adapt to life in the United States and become self-sufficient. One of their primary services is teaching job skills such as resume preparation and aid in contacting potential employers.

“Many of them, all they need is someone to give them an opportunity to work,” Batar said. “The refugees are hard-working, they will take whatever job is offered to them, they will stay with any company that hires them, so we need a lot of employers that are giving them that opportunity.” 

Community members also can help by volunteering their time to mentor a refugee family, teaching basic skills such as how to use public transportation, or helping a refugee child with homework. CCS provides training to volunteers.

To donate to CCS or for information about volunteering, visit ccsutah.org. 

“We’re trying to get our community to help us so we can continue serving our refugees, migrants and people that are in need,” Batar said.