You’ve Got a Friend in Gainesville
Resettling in a new country comes with a thousand questions—many too small for a formal caseworker but too big to face alone. GGIC connects every refugee family with a dedicated team of volunteers who provide support in navigating the challenges of starting over.
These volunteers become trusted companions—helping families assemble donated furniture, navigate the bus system, make medical appointments, or enroll children in school. They’re the ones answering late-night texts about how to pay a utility bill, offering rides to the grocery store, or simply sitting with a family and listening. Sometimes, they’re the first American friends the refugees make.
This model of personalized care fills the gap between formal services and full community belonging. It reflects what makes Gainesville so special: not just welcoming policies, but welcoming people.
GGIC representa para nuestra familia una organización muy altruista y noble, por su dedicada entrega al brindarnos soporte, agradecemos infinitamente su invaluable apoyo a nuestra familia en todas y cada una de las actividades que nos proporcionaron, gracias por toda la ayuda que nos prestaron en cuanto a todo el proceso que implica llegar a un país que no conociamos, donde no hablabamos el idioma ni conociamos sus legislaciones, tampoco conociamos ningún proceso de cómo conducirnos en la comunidad, y el apoyo absoluto e incondicional de GGIC hizo posible que hoy podamos sentirnos en casa.
Infinitas gracias GGIC, siempre los llevaremos en nuestro corazón.
GGIC represents a very altruistic and noble organization for our family for their dedicated commitment in providing support for us. We are infinitely grateful for their invaluable support in each and every activity they provided for our family. Thank you for all the help you gave us during the whole process of arriving in a country we were unfamiliar with, where we didn’t speak the language or understand the laws nor know any of the procedures for conducting ourselves in the community. GGIC’s absolute and unconditional support made it possible for us to feel at home today.
Infinite thanks to GGIC. You will always be in our hearts.
From Guest to Neighbor
Resettlement is about more than housing, jobs, and paperwork. True integration happens in the world, side by side with neighbors. That’s why GGIC actively creates opportunities for newly arrived families to experience the beauty, traditions, and rhythms of life in Gainesville.
From picking pumpkins at a local farm for their very first Halloween to joining an American family around the table for Thanksgiving, refugees are invited into cherished cultural moments that spark joy and connection. They explore Sweetwater Wetlands Park and Depot Park, visit the Florida Museum of Natural History, and go out together for ice cream on a hot Florida day.
Integration isn’t something that happens behind closed doors. To feel part of a community, a family must be in the community—laughing, learning, and building relationships that go both ways. Through shared experiences and mutual care, Gainesville becomes home.
Nuestra agencia, agradecemos a Dios siempre, por que desde el día 1 que conocimos a estas bellas personas que son las encargadas de guiarnos por este camino, gracias a ellas que trabajan incansablemente por nosotros lo refugiados, nos sentimos como en casa, su calidad humana, su desempeño, cariño y sobre todo paciencia, la que nos tienen, es indiscutible. Sabemos y nos han hecho sentir que cada cosa que hacen por nosotros lo hacen de corazón, se preocupan por nuestro bienestar y han sido nuestro apoyo en cada una de las cosas que con lleva llegar aquí.
Su trabajo es incansable, su labor maravillosa, cada día luchan por apoyarnos, cada apoyo bien sea económico, emocional o de acompañamiento sin duda alguna es excepcional.
Dios nos bendijo al ponerlos en nuestro camino y al hacer llegarlos a nuestras vidas. Dios los bendiga en abundancia para que sigan ayudando a todos y cada uno de los que necesitamos de gran labor.
“Our agency.” We always thank God because we have have felt at home from the first day we met these beautiful people who are responsible for guiding us along this path. Thanks to them for working tirelessly for us refugees. Their humanity, dedication, affection, and above all patience is undeniable. We know that everything they do for us is done from the heart. They care about our well-being and have been our support in every one of the aspects involved in getting here.
Their work is tireless; their work wonderful. They strive to support us every day. Without a doubt, every support, whether financial, emotional, or accompaniment is exceptional.
God blessed us by placing them in our journey and by bringing them into our lives. May God bless them abundantly so that they continue to help each and every one of us who need their great work.
Mr. Ho travels 