Stories

In 2016, Deb was diagnosed with throat cancer. Her diagnosis was stage 4, and the surgeries changed her life. She lost her voice and now breathes through a hole in her neck. Deb went through daily radiation and weekly chemo, working through her recovery until she was fired. “My cancer…...

In 2014, the United States welcomed almost 70,000 refugees. People from many different countries arrived that year, but the leading countries of origin were Iraq, Burma, Somalia, and Bhutan. One of these refugees was Mhra Moe, who came to Pittsburgh from Burma after living in Malaysia for several years. “From…...

SHIM feels like one big family, and often we are connected to family members through various programs and services. You may remember reading about Youth Mentoring graduate Ritika, who recently graduated from Villanova and is now attending medical school. Now, we’re featuring her dad Bhola, who is a Community Aide…...

Plenty has been written about the refugee and immigrant experience, and it can be easy to forget that there are real people caught up in the issue. Statistics like more than 25,000 refugees came to the US in 2022, a 123% increase from 2021 or that the country has welcomed…...

Growing up in Southern Bhutan, Bhim lived with his parents and his father’s parents in a farming community. Bhim’s father was a village representative and helped share messages from the government with members of his community. They had a large amount of land- farming rice and vegetables in the flat…...

In celebration of National Mentoring Month, we caught up with former Youth Mentoring student Achol. Now in her senior year studying molecular and cellular biology at Kent State University, Achol remains grateful for the impact the mentoring program had on her life. Achol moved to Pittsburgh with her mother and…...

Our SHIM family is made up of truly wonderful human beings. We are grateful for the kindness and generosity of both those we serve and those who serve alongside us. In fact, sometimes they are one in the same. From pantry clients who volunteer with set up to women’s group…...

Our story of Enise’s journey to Pittsburgh continues with her introduction to SHIM programs. (Read PART 1 and PART 2 first.) The support Enise received at SHIM empowered her to achieve her own dreams. While Enise’s younger children were enrolled in SHIM’s Home Visiting program, their teacher Lori encouraged her…...

Our story of Enise’s journey to Pittsburgh continues with her introduction to SHIM programs. (If you missed part one, you can find it HERE.) “I was a little nervous but when I saw people, everybody like me, I got excited.” Despite not speaking English, Enise embraced the opportunity to meet…...

Many of the teens in our Youth Mentoring program are inspired to set big goals for their futures. Ritika, who graduated from Baldwin High School in 2019, is on track to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. Ritika was always interested in medicine and wanted to be a doctor…...