Archway Refugee Connections

Since it began in 2022, Kindness Begins with Me has served over 725 refugees. We envision a thriving Saint Louis community with refugee families. We rebranded in February 2026 and are now Archway Refugee Connections! New name...same mission: connecting refugee women and their families to one another and to the greater St. Louis community.

Our weekly programs are expanding! At present, we serve 200+ refugees each week through our core programming. 

Our programs include:

1)  Women’s education socials...working to combat social isolation and build connection among refugee women weekly.

2) English classes for everyone in a family (20+ simultaneous classes)...focused on building English proficiency skills while providing a community space

3)  Transportation program...taking refugee women and teens from permit classes to English for driving to a driving simulator, this program facilitates transportation independence.

4) Women's artisan project...building economic independence through home-based income generation, this program is intended to build on the skills women already have!

5) Financial literacy...this program focuses on building a foundation of financial literacy for the people we serve before connecting them to other organizations.

6) Case management...our case managers work together to meet clients' basic needs so they can fully participate in our educational programming.

All programs help refugees with assimilation, employability, and addressing women’s social isolation. English classes in particular teach an average of 140 refugee parents and their children every Thursday evening. Our family-centric model focuses on providing support for women who often cannot access services due to childcare and transportation barriers.