Phoenix-based organization Idea Soup took its mission of creating collaborative change to the Mercado at ASU on Nov. 6.
For a donation of $5, each member of the audience gained a meal and a part in benefiting the lives of local refugees.
The event — the fourth of its kind for the organization — was a presentation of three preselected pitches on projects to better the Phoenix refugee community. Barred from using technology, each presenter worked hard to captivate the audience with the creative potential of their proposals.
Spectators voted to award a micro-grant, funded solely by the initial donations by spectators, to finance the stand-out pitch. The winner was an idea by the group Refugee Focus to offer cooking classes for women.
The grant money will help promote healthy eating among refugees through visual learning, including a plate demonstrating recommended portion sizes.
The cooking classes will also help to counteract diabetes, the top nutritional disease among refugee women.
“Part of what we do in our health and nutrition classes is pass them along to other resources,” said Hannah Miller, AmeriCorps Vista member and the project leader.
Second place went to Debbie Williams, who pitched an idea to eliminate tuberculosis outbreaks in refugee communities from the Burmese state of Chin.
Currently writing a dissertation on the Burmese-refugee population in Phoenix for a PhD in nursing, Williams proposed to research TB through the creation of an explanatory model and the researching of current barriers to treatment.
The remaining presentation was one from Jesus Sandoval, who spoke on behalf of colleague Renee Banuelos, the winner of an award from organization Ben’s Bells. Banuelos’ idea was to build a secure, “Play it Safe” playground for refugee and American families to gather at Tucson’s Nottinghill Apartments, where around 50 refugee children reside.
Speaking on his and Banuelos’ work with refugees, Sandoval said, “We hope that we can inspire other people to do it, too.”
The winner of May’s Idea Soup, the Friends of the World, also made an appearance to provide attendees with insight on their progress. With the micro-grant the group received, summer programs and 25 backpacks of school supplies were built for refugee youth.
Sarai Richter — the executive director of the Iraqi American Society and an active founder of Idea Soup, alongside Kara Batdorf and Phong Le — took pride in the effects created by relatively small grants from her organization.
“December 2013, we started with a grant worth $150,” Richter said. “We’ve given away more than 10 times that amount.”
Richter also spoke about Idea Soup’s positive chain reaction.
“[Idea Soup] is a community centric approach to solving the chronic issues in our community, instead of a one-time fundraiser,” Richter said. “We empower our community to engage.”
Other highlights of the event included a live spray painting by public artist Francisco Garcia and a dance performance by a pair of refugee siblings. The night ended with a raffle for a refugee-made necklace and Ben’s Bells “kindness coins,” as well as an auction for a Dia de los Muertos-themed painting by Garcia.
The next Idea Soup dinner event is scheduled for the end of January, and will potentially be held at Fair Trade Café or Washington Elementary School.
Contact the reporter at emily.liu@asu.edu
