Happy New Year! This period is imbued with an air of excitement, optimism, and anticipation of things yet to come. Many use this time to take stock of the past year and look to the new year with plans and dreams for self-improvement and renewal – a brand new year and another opportunity to grow and to do better! The same is the case for organizations. It is customary to look back over the preceding year, celebrate successes, and lay out plans for the upcoming year.

In the last couple of years, InterFaith Works has been in significant growth mode and ended 2023 on a high note – having resettled more refugees than we had in the previous five years at 475, served over 5,000 individuals across all our three departments, launched the new Center for Healthy Aging (formerly Senior Services), expanded our office footprint by moving the Center for Dialogue and Action and Finance departments into entirely new spaces, refurbished the old parking lot, and hired an additional 19 employees, among many other accomplishments.

We could never have accomplished our goals and enlivened our mission of Affirming Dignity without the tremendous work of the motley crew that is our current staff – an amazing and remarkably diverse group. All of them are talented, dedicated, passionate and the hardest working people I know. They do this agency proud. And of course, we also owe our success to you - our volunteers, donors, and community partners.



In 2024, we intend to stay on this growth path, adding more staff (mainly) in the Center for New Americans, which will serve an anticipated 895 refugee clients, a near doubling of last year’s number. We are excited and stand ready. We are also looking forward to getting our Transition House (providing temporary housing for newly arrived families) off the ground this year. Once complete, we will have restored a lovely historic mansion and contributed to neighborhood revitalization in the city of Syracuse. The Center for Healthy Aging is looking forward to getting out into the community to spur conversations about ageism and the unmet needs of older adults in our community. The Center for Dialogue and Action will continue to conduct ever more dialogues with more groups in our ongoing effort to build racial and religious equity while fighting hunger in our community through our food justice work. We look forward to increasing our reach and having an even greater impact this coming year, with you at our side. Onward and upward.

Olive Sephuma

Vice President & COO