SGA senators partner with Urban Promise to host “Race for Refuge”

Over 100,000 foreign-born citizens call Nashville and Davidson County home, making up over 15% of Nashville’s population. Many are refugees who had to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict or violence. 

Urban Promise was founded by Jonathan Sheahen, a former Lipscomb Academy teacher and principal and his wife, Shawna. Their mission is “to show the love of Jesus to refugees by helping them heal, learn and direct their own future for good.”

On Saturday, Urban Promise hosted its 4th annual “Race for Refuge,” an event for the Nashville community to experience a simulated refugee journey. Lipscomb’s Student Government Association (SGA) senators volunteered all day to help put on the event.

Rachael Ferguson, the SGA Vice President, initiated a partnership with SGA volunteers and Urban Promise last year. Ferguson volunteered with Urban Promise as a high school senior and interned with them as a Lipscomb sophomore. She saw a need for volunteers at Race for Refuge and decided to get her peers involved with the nonprofit. 

“I thought it would be fun to get our senators involved in Urban Promise, and give them a taste of a Nashville nonprofit in a really up-close way,” said Ferguson. “It’s a big day, and there’s a lot happening. So our senators are all spread out, each manning a different station.”

Ferguson was helping with the last leg of the multi-stage course, which simulated an immigrant family’s final “challenge” before entering the United States. Teams were making their way through an “airport” with signage in foreign languages, passing government interviews and dealing with law enforcement.

Earlier, competitors experienced a simulated refugee camp, which included a food distribution, water purification and firewood collection station. SGA senators ran each station.

“Having SGA help out has been a godsend,” said Mary Jones, one of the Race for Refuge organizers. “It helped take the event to the next level, because we have a huge bank of Lipscomb volunteers who are super reliable. It’s great.” Jones, a Lipscomb alumna, has worked for Urban Promise for four years, joining the organization after volunteering at a Race for Refuge.  

One of Saturday’s SGA volunteers was Katie McGinnis, a member of the Freshman Leadership Council. McGinnis had never volunteered with Urban Promise, so Race for Refuge was her first time hearing about the organization. She said the event taught her a lot more than she expected.  

“It’s been very eye-opening, especially the informational session at the beginning of the day, just to realize how many refugees there are in the world, and in Nashville. It’s so cool to experience firsthand, through the simulation, what they go through,” McGinnis said.

After the Race for Refuge competition concluded, Urban Promise invited volunteers and participants to share a meal. They reflected on their simulated experience and the lived experiences of many refugees. For Ferguson, the day was a reminder of a lesson Urban Promise teaches its volunteers.

“People I perceive as very different from me aren’t actually that different from me. There’s so much more that unites us than divides us,” Ferguson said. She encouraged Lipscomb students to look for volunteer opportunities like Urban Promise. “Nashville is so full of diverse communities, and it’s so good to get involved with a group of people that are different from you.”

Lipscomb students can apply to volunteer at Urban Promise via their website: https://www.urbanpromisenashville.org/get-involved.

Feature image courtesy of Rachael Ferguson.