Who We Are
Hearts & Homes for Refugees was started in 2016 in Westchester County, NY to mobilize the most powerful and untapped resources in our communities—the passion and the goodwill of its one million residents to welcome refugees.
Volunteers and community institutions have a strong desire to ease the transitions, integration and independence of refugees to American life.
Recognizing and tapping into the abundant resource of goodwill with a vision of shifting the paradigm of U.S. refugee resettlement, Hearts & Homes' mission is organized around the following mandates: WELCOME, CONVENE, EDUCATE, ADVOCATE. Hundreds of committed partner groups and trained volunteers have come together to welcome and resettle refugees to our communities in the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond.
Hearts & Homes for Refugees has been leading the welcoming movement, practicing and promoting the Community Sponsorship Model of Resettlement since 2016 when we resettled the first refugee family to Westchester County. Thanks to the early model known as Community Co-Sponsorship in which private citizen groups partner with Resettlement Agencies, Catholic Charities, HIAS, IRC and Church World Service) more than 200 refugees have resettled in Westchester County—more than half of those arriving in six months beginning in September 2021. HHR alone has resettled and assisted 3,500 refugees in our area with the help of individuals and groups we have seeded and mentored since 2016. Hearts & Homes has seeded and mentored Community Sponsors groups, and continues to expand and coordinate new volunteers to meet the growing demand for community support of refugees. The commitments of time and resources offered by Community Sponsors to arriving refugees offer better chances for successful integration and independence.
Hearts & Homes programs not only support our new neighbors, but they create cross-cultural awareness and understanding about the journeys and needs of our refugees. . We empower our new neighbors with key life skills and needs such as housing and furnishings, language, driving, employment, education, and counseling assistance. The population we help includes Afghans evacuated since the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban, traditional refugees, Special Immigration Visa holders (our allies from Afghanistan and Iraq), and those granted asylum.
So that we can inspire, educate and equip others to welcome and advocate for refugees, Hearts & Homes turns to friends & partners, more than 40 aligned groups in Westchester, and is a founding member of Hello, Neighbor, a national network of 24 refugee and immigrant-serving community organizations. Here in the Lower Hudson Valley, more than 2,000 volunteers are critical to this scalable model for how to resettle, assist and advocate for our new neighbors. More than 800 of our new neighbors are directly impacted each year by the growing goodwill in our communities. Hearts & Homes for Refugees is lean but mighty. We depend on the contributions of time and resources from like-minded volunteers and partners who believe everyone deserves a safe home and a hopeful future. This is how we build communities that offer refugees soft landings and support for better outcomes as aspiring Americans.
Be Part of The Solution!
Are you interested in being an active volunteer and donor? We are urgently looking to build and train more community volunteer groups. Learn more about becoming a supporter and volunteer, and how we come together to increase refugee resettlement through Community Sponsorship.
Join us in building a longer welcoming table. Together we can strengthen and deepen the roots of the welcoming movement in the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond.
Awards & Recognitions
We are proud of the recognition our work has received because it acknowledges the spirit of welcoming and the thousands of committed volunteers and supporters who make our mission possible.
Great Nonprofits
Hearts & Homes for Refugees is proud to be part of the family of nonprofits recognized by Great Nonprofits. Please help put us on the map to “inspire, educate and motivate” others by sharing your experience as part of the welcoming movement here. Your stories uplift the work and visibility of Hearts & Homes!
2024 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar by Candid
At Hearts & Homes, we are committed to our values of transparency and accountability. We are honored to have earned the 2025 Platinum Seal from GuideStar, the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. Click here for a look at our GuideStar profile.
Founder named 2018 Person of the Year
On October 19, 2018, Kathie O’Callaghan was recognized as one of two “Persons of the Year” by the Pelham Civic Association.
“It’s this goodwill that I tapped into when I gathered a group of like-minded individuals around my kitchen table ten years ago to start Hearts & Homes for Refugees. Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, I had seen that spirit of welcome firsthand when my family helped resettle a Vietnamese refugee family and, later, an Albanian refugee family in the 1980s. Decades later, as record numbers of people around the world were being forced from their homes, I believed our community here in New York could do something similar.
What I never imagined was that those kitchen-table conversations would grow into a nonprofit organization powered by hundreds of volunteers, donors, partners, and neighbors who believe, as I do, that welcoming newcomers makes our communities stronger. Over the past ten years, Hearts & Homes for Refugees has helped more than 1,000 refugees rebuild their lives while demonstrating the extraordinary power of community sponsorship.
I remain inspired by what happens when everyday people are given the opportunity to welcome—and by the generosity, compassion, and commitment of the community that has made this work possible.”
Featured in a 2019 New York State Proclamation
Our Team
Contact Kathie: kathie@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org
Kathie O’Callaghan
Founder & President
Kathie O’Callaghan is the Founder and President of Hearts & Homes for Refugees, which she launched in 2016 around her kitchen table with a small group of neighbors determined to respond to the global refugee crisis. Under her leadership, HHR has grown into a community-powered organization that mobilizes volunteers, donors, faith and civic groups, and local partners to welcome, support, and advocate for refugees rebuilding their lives.
Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Kathie has called Pelham, New York, home for more than 40 years.
“I founded Hearts & Homes because there was a NEED—a growing humanitarian crisis; a VOID—too little local infrastructure to respond; and a PRECEDENT FOR SOLUTIONS—the long American tradition of communities helping refugees rebuild their lives, including through community sponsorship during the Southeast Asian refugee crisis of the 1970s and ’80s. Most importantly, I knew we could draw on abundant local RESOURCES: people of goodwill willing to put their time, energy, experience, and financial support toward a solution.”
Bio here.
BOARD MEMBERS
Vice President
Anne currently serves on the boards of Hearts & Homes for Refugees and Project Community, two Pelham-based non-profit organizations. She and her husband manage their education business, GEMM learning, a provider of proprietary educational software programs to struggling readers.
My own family, as with most other Americans, can trace our history through an immigrant journey. I joined Hearts & Homes for Refugees to take a stand for those who have been cruelly displaced, and against those who believe that we are a nation that should turn our backs on outsiders.
Anne McCool Nixon
Lisa has served on the Pelham Union Free School District Board of Education, the board of the Pelham Public Library, and The Pelham Children’s Center among others. She is a many year mentor and tutor through the Destination College Program at Mount Vernon High School and ESL conversation programs throughout Westchester County.
I could not sit by and do nothing in the face of the humanitarian crisis.
Lisa Kiernan
Donna is retired from the U.S. Department of State, where she worked for over 30 years as an International Visitor Exchange Specialist. These people-to-people programs foster mutual understanding to promote friendly and peaceful international relations. Donna is the Treasurer of the Rotary Club of The Pelhams and on the Board of its Pelham Rotary Charities Fund.
Upon retirement from the State Department, I followed the news of the Syrian refugee crisis and searched for some small way to help. I was so pleased to be introduced to Hearts & Homes founder Kathie O’Callaghan, who was happy to put my skill sets and passion to help those in need to good use.
Donna Shirreffs
Lori has been an active volunteer of HHR involved in volunteer recruitment, coordination of Students for Refugees and other initiatives since 2018. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Westchester Jewish Council. Previously, Lori was on the Board of Trustees for Scarsdale Synagogue, where she co-chairs the Social Action Committee. Lori is an artist whose paintings have been exhibited at the White Plains Library Museum Gallery, Pelham Art Center, Scarsdale Public Library and other venues; 100% of her art sales go directly to nonprofits including HHR. Prior to her volunteer “career," Lori worked for 25 years in the creative field of global brand strategy for corporate clients. She appeared on CBS News and Bloomberg Radio, was widely quoted in major press and industry publications, and was a frequent speaker for The Design Management Institute and The Conference Board.
Our society, our economy, our well-being as a country and as a global “family” is at stake. Hearts & Homes for Refugees’ commitment to offer hope and help to refugees here in Westchester is a mission I am honored to support.
Visit Lori Kapner Hosp Art: www.lorikapnerhosp.com
Lori Kapner Hosp
Janet is a retired Wall Street executive with experience in leading new business ventures in global financial organizations. While working she was active in her church's outreach initiatives. Since retiring, Janet has taught risk management and fintech at Pace's graduate business school.
I grew up in a small town in the midwest. A (DP) group from Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia lived behind us where I observed first hand how refugees with the proper support can make their way in a new community. On retiring, I looked for opportunities to use my business and organizational experience in community oriented activities. The Afghan crisis struck home, and I volunteered my skills with Hearts and Homes for Refugees.
Janet Wynn
Melissa’s professional career in Investments spans over 25 years and she brings a strategic and organizational management background to her volunteer work. She was SVP and Head of Public Fixed Income at a large Insurance company, after many years as a Fixed Income trader both on Wall Street and overseas, and today is Senior Advisor to a private reinsurance company. She has been an active Hearts and Homes volunteer since 2017 and is on the advisory board of the New York Service and Justice Collaborative, among other volunteer initiatives.
We must, when fortunate enough to be able, seek to help those in need. Like others on our board, I sought a way to help those in crisis who were looking for a new home in the US, and am so glad to be a part of Hearts and Homes for Refugees, where we not only help, but welcome.
Melissa Roddy
Here is my bio: Lauren has 10 years of experience working in the humanitarian and international development field, most recently working with the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Global Women's Issues to design, monitor, and evaluate programming to support women and girls' economic empowerment across over 50 countries. Prior to this, she worked with the International Rescue Committee, advising and providing technical support across international economic programming.
In the current political climate, organizations like HHR promote an important narrative that refugees are valued members of our communities. I have long been inspired by their work, and am grateful to be involved.
Lauren Emerson
Reilly is a Partner at the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consulting firm that works with mission-driven organizations. She has 10+ years of experience supporting nonprofits and foundations to develop strategic plans and make decisions to maximize impact toward their missions.
This organization is such an important beacon of hope in dark times, and I'm grateful to be involved
Reilly Kiernan
STAFF
Amy holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and started her career many years ago as a fundraiser for the International Rescue Committee. Prior to joining Hearts & Homes, Amy freelanced as a writer and non-profit consultant, including writing and editing reports for various UN agencies. She has traveled in over 60 countries and lived in six, including five years in Honduras and five in Lebanon, where she arrived just as the Syrian crisis was unfolding.
When I returned to the United States in 2017, I was looking for a way to get involved with refugees and the welcoming movement. My time in Honduras and Lebanon reinforced my commitment to help those fleeing violence and persecution. I was thrilled to connect with Hearts & Homes, and began working and volunteering with them in 2018.
Amy Robertson
Program Director
Sonia has 20+ years of experience as a Full-charge Bookkeeper and Comptroller in various industries. Since joining the team, Sonia has used her existing experience and learned non-profit compliance to maintain the organization’s financial position.
I am honored to be a part of this wonderful organization since 2018. As someone who immigrated to the United States at the age of 9, not knowing the language nor having any family or friends, I know how difficult it was for us to navigate our new life and surroundings. Our extensive team provides a critical support system - financial, educational and emotional - to the individuals and families that have come here and face similar circumstances.
Having followed the growth of Hearts & Homes into the dynamic organization it is today, I am excited to join the team and support the vital work of welcoming. My personal and professional experience has fostered an understanding of the critical importance of building safe, equitable communities where diversity is celebrated as a strength. Hearts & Homes represents all we can be as a nation at our best.
Sonia Galvao
Bookkeeper
Catherine joins Hearts & Homes with experience teaching refugee youth and assisting their families through her work for the International Rescue Committee and the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project. She holds a degree in International Studies, French, and Women’s and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
After serving as a volunteer for Hearts & Homes, I was excited to help further its mission as a member of the team and do my part as a global citizen. I am committed to improving the lives and securing the basic human rights of all people, particularly refugees and other at-risk populations. As I looked at the world in which I was beginning my professional life, I knew I needed to take action, and my work at Hearts & Homes lets me do that every day.
Catherine Winn
Program Officer
Lisa comes to Hearts & Homes for Refugees with a non-profit background that includes work within the fields of child welfare, family violence prevention, refugee resettlement and immigrant services. She holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology. For the past 15 years, Lisa has served as the volunteer manager of a small, grassroots international aid charity she founded serving under-resourced families in Sri Lanka. She has also undertaken numerous volunteer commitments, most recently volunteering in an immigrant welcome center near the southern border.
This work has helped me to give back to a population in incredible need. As chair of my church’s Outreach Committee, I felt that it was a very worthwhile endeavor and proved to be meaningful for all who participated. I’ve loved working with both Hearts & Homes for Refugees and the families that we helped. As part of the staff at HHR, I look forward to having many opportunities to welcome people and help with dental healthcare needs as well as helping to develop programs to educate families about achieving and maintaining dental health. There’s a huge demand for dental services in this community and hopefully, as a team, we can offer support where it is needed most.
Anna joins Hearts & Homes with several years of experience as an ESOL tutor, working with diverse learners to support language development. She holds an MSc in Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Philosophy with a focus on International Relations from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also has experience working in civil litigation and has a passion for political advocacy.
After studying the refugee crisis and U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, I developed a strong commitment to advocating for displaced communities. I am also especially passionate about the intersection of migration and education, and I was drawn to Hearts & Homes for its work in defending both issue areas. As I began shaping my professional path, I wanted to be part of an organization that reflects these values and allows me to contribute to my community in a meaningful, tangible way.
Lisa Kohobman
Senior Program Officer
Anna Brateanu
Program Manager
AMBASSADORS
Reshad was granted a Special Immigration Visa (SIV) to the United States. In June 2017, he moved with his family from Kabul to White Plains, New York. Reshad is now an Assistant Project Manager at United Builders Supply in New Rochelle. Reshad is a member of the 2020-21 cohort of CORO New York’s Immigrant Civic Leadership Program and a frequent speaker at immigration-focused events around Westchester County.
I wanted to pay forward what I have received – the support and the warm welcome from the community. I am from Afghanistan, and in our culture, whenever someone takes your hand and helps you, when you reach somewhere you become the next person to take someone’s hand – a human chain to reach somewhere. This is my way of reaching out my hand to those who come behind me. There are thousands and thousands of people outside of this country, stuck in the narrow pipeline of the immigration and refugee system. I want to advocate for a smoother, faster, clearer path to help those who are in real danger and want to reach safety.
Reshad Ahmadi
Jane Dixon is a native Westchester County resident and retired special education teacher / administrator, who is now an adult education instructor. She has a long history of community service and is the co-chair of ICNAW- the Interfaith Council for New Americans, Westchester - another community sponsorship group in Westchester County and member of the Westchester Refugee Initiative.
I was blessed to grow up living in a safe, loving environment and it has made me keenly aware of the many refugees and displaced persons who do not have that good fortune. In 2015, I became a member of the Westchester Refugee Task Force, hoping to be able to do something constructive about the growing refugee crisis. In 2017, I became co-chair of a group of volunteers organized to assist an arriving Afghan family. When Hearts & Homes created the Westchester Refugee Initiative, I knew I wanted to be part of a dedicated, energetic group hoping to engage more people in helping Westchester become a welcoming county.
Jane Dixon
Isatou is from The Gambia, a country where three-quarters of young women have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She is now a pre-med student at SUNY-Binghamton and hopes one day to return to The Gambia to help other women.
As a WRI beneficiary, one thing I learned is that you can have a complete stranger that cares about your wellbeing and works so hard to support you. That changed my whole view of life and changed my heart to become a better person by helping others no matter how small it is. Becoming a WRI ambassador is one way of doing that. I choose to have a conversation with people about my experience and my journey as an immigrant in the United States not just because I want to share, but also for other people to benefit from it, as communication is an important tool for a better understanding of every situation and it can help to resolve problems effectively.
Isatou Dukureh
Lamin Jarjou & Bintou Camara
Zulfar is from Kabul, Afghanistan. Although the Taliban had barred girls from schools for six years, her parents were dedicated to homeschooling. After schools reopened, she was able to enter university and graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. She arrived in the U.S. in 2017 with her husband Reshad and their two children, and now works as an HR specialist.
Zulfar Stanikzai