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Farmington
Hero Story
Jessica Beamer has produced lasting change in many capacities over the span of over 20 years, including leading a Sponsorship team for two newly arrived refugee families, being mom to three lucky foster children, tutoring a refugee youth, and providing leadership for many other organizations, groups, and events. With the help of Jessica and her team, the refugee families were set up for a life of growth and success in a way they never would have been without them. Jessica and her team helped them get Michigan State ID cards, fill out job applications, obtain a Social Security Card, find housing, move into a new home, and much more. Recently, several years after Jessica and her team supported these families through Samaritas, one of the mothers was expecting a baby and had no one to be in the operating room with her during the birth. No one except for Jessica, who stood by her side during one of her most vulnerable and scary moments.
Jessica also provided a safe home to three children in the foster care system. The stability, support, and love she was able offer them at a time when they needed it most surely impacted the trajectory of their lives. Jessica and her husband officially adopted two of these children at the age of 5, and they are now highly successful 25 year olds after a horrific start to life.
Through Samaritas, a local Refugee Resettlement Agency, Jessica has had the opportunity to walk alongside one young man as he fought hard to learn English and graduate high school. Through the hundreds of hours Jessica has spent with him, he is now a high school graduate and a soon to be a college freshman.
Jessica has surely provided lasting change for the community through her leadership efforts in countless different areas, including an Immigration and Refugee Task Force, which has helped shape the hearts and attitudes of churches and lay leaders in the area. Perhaps the most important outcome of this is the education she has provided for congregations and community members surrounding immigration and refugees, which has led to advocacy all the way up to a legislative level.
This advocacy work spills over into inspiration as Jessica’s work ignites a passion in others – a passion that leads to action. Jessica’s leadership mobilizes the community as she leads the way organizing donations drives and assembling groups to help with various projects around the community, such as donation collections, advocacy projects, charity events, and much more. This mobilization of others has a lasting effect on the community as together community members provide an inexhaustive list of donations and support for the most vulnerable.
Jessica’s service is unique because it is so versatile. On any given day you can find her preparing to host a workshop, tutoring a refugee youth, collecting donations, connecting immigrant families with legal services, delivering a birthday party to an at-risk youth through Blessed Birthdays, a company started by Jessica and her daughter, running a fundraiser, or loving on her children – two of whom are now adult children that were fostered and adopted by her and her husband twenty years ago.
Farmington
Hero Story
Jessica Beamer has produced lasting change in many capacities over the span of over 20 years, including leading a Sponsorship team for two newly arrived refugee families, being mom to three lucky foster children, tutoring a refugee youth, and providing leadership for many other organizations, groups, and events. With the help of Jessica and her team, the refugee families were set up for a life of growth and success in a way they never would have been without them. Jessica and her team helped them get Michigan State ID cards, fill out job applications, obtain a Social Security Card, find housing, move into a new home, and much more. Recently, several years after Jessica and her team supported these families through Samaritas, one of the mothers was expecting a baby and had no one to be in the operating room with her during the birth. No one except for Jessica, who stood by her side during one of her most vulnerable and scary moments.
Jessica also provided a safe home to three children in the foster care system. The stability, support, and love she was able offer them at a time when they needed it most surely impacted the trajectory of their lives. Jessica and her husband officially adopted two of these children at the age of 5, and they are now highly successful 25 year olds after a horrific start to life.
Through Samaritas, a local Refugee Resettlement Agency, Jessica has had the opportunity to walk alongside one young man as he fought hard to learn English and graduate high school. Through the hundreds of hours Jessica has spent with him, he is now a high school graduate and a soon to be a college freshman.
Jessica has surely provided lasting change for the community through her leadership efforts in countless different areas, including an Immigration and Refugee Task Force, which has helped shape the hearts and attitudes of churches and lay leaders in the area. Perhaps the most important outcome of this is the education she has provided for congregations and community members surrounding immigration and refugees, which has led to advocacy all the way up to a legislative level.
This advocacy work spills over into inspiration as Jessica’s work ignites a passion in others – a passion that leads to action. Jessica’s leadership mobilizes the community as she leads the way organizing donations drives and assembling groups to help with various projects around the community, such as donation collections, advocacy projects, charity events, and much more. This mobilization of others has a lasting effect on the community as together community members provide an inexhaustive list of donations and support for the most vulnerable.
Jessica’s service is unique because it is so versatile. On any given day you can find her preparing to host a workshop, tutoring a refugee youth, collecting donations, connecting immigrant families with legal services, delivering a birthday party to an at-risk youth through Blessed Birthdays, a company started by Jessica and her daughter, running a fundraiser, or loving on her children - two of whom are now adult children that were fostered and adopted by her and her husband twenty years ago.