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Contributors

Trisha Leimer

Board Member, Board Member

The power of a person’s story has always fascinated Trisha. Stories from her own pilgrim and pioneer heritage, stories from her immediate and extended family about the Revolutionary, Civil and both world wars, and stories from her German in-laws as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 - these molded her outlook and directly and indirectly impacted her and her family. Perhaps this is why when Trisha was living with her family in Frankfurt, Germany in 2015 she felt compelled to record and share the stories of the displaced people she met as they poured across the border. They bear witness to the power of individuals to overcome overwhelming circumstances, and the strength derived when communities and nations place the preservation of human dignity before fear.

Trisha studied for 6 months in the Middle East, she served for five years as an elected representative for children and youth affairs in Frankfurt, worked closely with local organizations in assisting displaced individuals with integration, and most recently she and her husband worked as volunteers managing a church service organization in northern and eastern Germany for two years. She and her husband have five children and three grandchildren.

Elsewhere
Trisha
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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