This month, FIRM has begun a partnership with the local non-profit organization called Care Fresno. Care Fresno has served youth in some of Fresno’s highest crime neighborhoods for the last 20 years. They are engaged in “training people and churches to address poverty by investing in under-resourced communities and mentoring at-risk youth and families”. Care Fresno is a natural partner for FIRM as FIRM begins to engage the youth of the refugee community.
As part of this partnership, Care Fresno has moved their offices onto FIRM’s campus and will be working to establish a site at the Summerset Apartment complex, which is one of Fresno’s largest refugee communities. Care Fresno will secure an apartment, move missionaries into the community and assist FIRM in launching a year-round after-school program. They have done this in many neighborhoods throughout Fresno and have been extremely successful in their ministry.
Executive Director, Zachary Darrah says, “Partnering with Care Fresno is a game-changing partnership for FIRM. They are the experts when it comes to engaging youth from challenging neighborhoods as well as training and connecting churches to impacting these same neighborhoods for Christ. Our visions fit together very well and I know that the Lord will open many doors through our partnership.”
FIRM and Care Fresno will begin planning for the site to launch by March. Please look forward to all of the exciting updates about this new ministry endeavor at FIRM and pray for the bearing of much fruit!