Helping Refugees in Lexington MA and Neighboring Towns

About Us

LexRAP is a group of concerned people from Lexington and surrounding communities calling itself the Lexington Refugee Assistance Program or “LexRAP.” Our focus is to make Lexington a welcoming place for refugees and to help them directly.

Mission

LexRAP is a Lexington-based 501C non-profit organization helping refugees to settle in the United States and to become productive and well-adjusted members of the community.  The mission of LexRAP is to support and to assist refugees and asylum seekers into American society. This assistance includes a support network for housing, food, clothing, transportation, health care, education (especially English), employment, legal aid, and socialization. Beneficiaries of this assistance must have received (or be legally seeking) permission to live in the U.S., either temporarily or permanently.
The concept of an experience-based handbook evolved because, during the COVID-19 pandemic, those of us at LexRAP lost the ability to meet in person to exchange information and ideas.

 Hand in Hand: A Guide to Working with New Arrivals shares our experiences, information and perspective with others working to achieve the same mission.

There are two versions of the Guide on the website: 
HandinHand_Two_Sided_Printing is formatted and ready to print as a two-sided document; as such, it contains some blank pages. 

HandinHand_Online_Reading is formatted without blank pages to facilitate reading online or printing as a one-sided document. 

The Table of Contents for each version of the Guide reflects these page differences.

We request that the use of any, or all, parts of this document be attributed to the author. Any modifications for use by other groups or individuals must be attributed to those organizations or persons. Elizabeth Fried Ellen does not guarantee the factual accuracy of modifications made to the Guide.

The document is free of charge but we would appreciate any contribution so that we may continue our resettlement work.

HandinHand_Two_Sided_Printing.pdf
HandinHand_Online_Reading.pdf

Donate

Tax-exempt  donations support LexRAP
initiatives. Online donations will be processed by PayPal.

Sustaining Monthly Donation

One time Donation

By Check

Please mail checks made out to "LexRAP" to:
​LexRAP
PO Box 244
Lexington, MA 02420
Email Don Detweiler with any questions you may have about donations.

An Interview with Mustafa Abo-Tabik

Mustafa Abo-Tabik lives in Lexington with his brother, sister-in-law and young neice. When the Covid lock down started, he reached out helping hands and offered his services as a food shopper for folks before all the stores started expanded delivery. He is now enrolled at Minutemen Tech in a mechanic training program and working at the Toyota dealership in Lexington. Click here to read the interview of Mustafa.

How do refugees get to the U.S and what is LexRAP doing to help with their resettlement?

Current Focus
LexRAP currently focuses on 3 areas: Hosting Asylum Seekers, Hosting Unaccompanied Minors, and Assisting Refugees who, for any number of reasons, are having difficulties navigating the challenging terrain of adapting to life in the US. 
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While some may be able to make the bigger commitment of hosting, other volunteers are ready and willing to support their efforts. In addition, we keep a list of agencies working with refuges and asylum seekers – many of these agencies will welcome volunteer help.

Join Us
We are currently seeking volunteers to assist in any way possible, with either major or modest time commitments. All assistance is welcome. Complete our volunteer intake form here.

Stay informed
Join our email list to stay up to date on current LexRAP events and  needs. 

Who We Are​

Officers
Marianne Boswell, President & Founder
Don Detweiler, Vice President
Ingrid Klimoff,   Secretary
Laura Tandara, Treasurer

Board
Steve Stulck
Pat Moyer
Elizabeth Ellen
Marianne Boswell
Don Detweiler
Ingrid Klimoff​
Naomi Rosenthal 
Tom Rich
Nassma Halaseh
LexRAP Bylaws