Here's the latest round-up of what we've been reading and watching this week, from the news and around the web:

Despite the Trump Administration’s recent decision to set a historically low refugee admissions goal, VFAI will continue to welcome the 45,000 refugees that will arrive this year. To support our efforts, you can watch, like, and share our entry video for the Starbucks Foundation Upstanders Challenge – we could win a  $25,000 grant to bolster our work welcoming refugees, standing up for our wartime allies, and countering anti-Muslim bigotry.

In the spirit of #Upstanders, this week’s roundup features uplifting stories about refugees and the communities that welcome them, as well as tangible ways to help. The U.N. Refugee Agency shares 8 ideas to get you started. Or get inspired by your fellow vet leaders around the country: coordinate an interfaith or community event, or help a refugee family settle into their new home. If one of these stories inspires you to action, contact VFAI to see how we can help.

For many refugees who have crossed the Aegean Sea in search of security, the water represents fear and uncertainty. Lifeguard Hellas, a group of lifeguards and swimming instructors in Lesbos, Greece is working to help refugees reconnect with the sea.  “They have had traumatizing experiences,” says Isidoros Lapstatis, an instructor. “I believe these people deserve to have fun and relax, and appreciate the water, you know, the sea, the way we do.” One refugee, a new swimmer, agrees: “Here it’s good, because we can swim a little. It takes away stress.”

In New York, an ice cream maker is stirring up support for refugees. Adirondack Creamery’s new flavor “Syrian Date and Walnut” is inspired by ma'amoul, a shortbread pastry enjoyed by Syrians of all faiths on religious holidays. The pint is sprinkled with the word "peace" in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, and fifty percent of profits from each pint will support the International Rescue Committee. On its website, the creamery states: “We hope customers will not only enjoy this wonderful new ice cream flavor but also discover Syrians who are trying to escape the horrors of war to build a better future.”

In Philadelphia, a group of undergraduates is dedicated to assisting refugees and raising on-campus awareness about issues facing migrants. Penn Undergraduates for Refugee Empowerment partners student members with refugees through online tutoring services via Skype. “We are trying to simply make the lives of refugees better,” said PURE President Stephen Damianos, “by giving them the tools they need to build better lives.”

“Eat with dignity,” is the motto of Falafel, Inc., a socially responsible falafel shop based in D.C. For every meal purchased, the shop donates a day’s worth of food to a refugee through the World Food Programme. For $3 you can enjoy a delicious sandwich, or even better, follow our lead and invite Falafel, Inc. to cater your next event (last month, VFAI’s happy hour guests raved about the tasty Middle Eastern spread!)

Refugee Spotlight of the Week: Abraham Leno is a former refugee from Sierra Leone. Today, he works to help refugee children access educational programs in countries such as Pakistan, Liberia, North and South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Congo. “This was something I always dreamed of but never had as a refugee,” says Leno. “Food, clothes and shelter are all necessary—but so is education!”