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Contributors

Sarah Jacobsen

Community Grants Manager; Community Programs Coordinator, Washington

The refugee crisis inspired Sarah to get involved locally by mentoring families in their first years of resettlement. Her husband and 4 children are involved in these family to family friendships too. Sarah’s background is in arts administration, education, and community outreach for NGOs. Sarah taught at San Jose State University, as well as in public and private schools, camps, and studios in ME, UT, CA, and was Programing Director for Emerald Ballet Theatre in WA. She also directed international service-learning projects in conjunction with the UN Special Session on Children in NY. TSOS is filled with kindred spirits and feels like coming home!

Washington
Elsewhere
Sarah OJTSOS
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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