A program that serves Columbus Junction and seven other cities in Iowa is the recipient of a grant from Google. Iowa’s RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps Program is one of five Iowa nonprofits to receive a $175,000 grant from Google. RefugeeRISE offers skill building and job training for refugees in Iowa.

Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center, also called EMBARC, was founded in 2011 to help refugees from Burma settle in Iowa. Since then the group has expanded to serve people from the Congo, Syria, and Eritrea. EMBARC has helped more than 18,000 refugees resettle directly to Iowa and helps people find work, enroll in school, and use existing resources to overcome language and cultural challenges.