Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Refugee resettlement agency to open Harrisburg office, host movie screening at Midtown Cinema

Midtown Cinema

An organization is setting up shop in Harrisburg and kicking it off with a night at the movies.

Nonprofit Church World Service (CWS) will host an informational event and screening of “Flee” at Midtown Cinema on March 31. The evening coincides with the launch of CWS’s Harrisburg office to assist with local refugee resettlement.

The organization has locations across the country, including another local branch in Lancaster. They provide services to refugees including case management, basic needs support, cultural orientation, health access assistance and job preparation and placement help.

At their kick-off event, CWS will screen “Flee,” an animated documentary about an Afghan refugee’s journey to face his past. It was nominated for three Oscars—Best Documentary, Best Animated Film and Best International Feature.

According to Harrisburg office Director Alex Swan, the “Flee” event is designed to inform the community about the work CWS-Harrisburg does in helping refugees. He also hopes it will help recruit community partners to aid in the organization’s work.

“The community here is special. They’ve already welcomed several Afghan families to Harrisburg and Lancaster,” Swain said. “We see the official launch as an opportunity to let the rest of the community know how they can tap in and help their new neighbors.”

The event will also feature several former refugee speakers, who will talk about their experiences resettling in the area.

While CWS announced in November that it would open its Harrisburg office to assist incoming Afghan refugees, Swan noted several other ongoing refugee crises that need their assistance. He cited crises happening in Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Central America, among others.

“Most people are aware of the humanitarian disasters in Ukraine and Afghanistan, but we can’t lose sight of the other long-term issues from other parts of the world,” Swan said.

The event is free to the public, but registration is required. It will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information about Church World Service, visit their website.

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