Kathy Palmer is a soft-spoken energetic woman whose childhood in Kenya provided her with fluent Swahili and an understanding of cultures beyond America. From Kenya to St. Louis to Atlanta, Kathy has made a roundabout way to the Atlanta suburb of Clarkston.
"I visited a few years ago," says Kathy. "I knew then that we had to move here."
Kathy is accomplished. She has published 50 novels and is finishing her contract with a Christian publisher. She'll stop writing for a while to focus on her newest project: The Refugee Sewing Society housed in the Clarkston Community Center.
Through the refugee sewing society Cathy teaches women who've come from refugee camps in third world countries to the crazy Atlanta suburbs. She teaches them how to make merchandise which is in turn sold through a little market. Cash only.
"This sort of work is catching on in Third World countries and in the poor areas of more developed countries," says Cathy. "It's a way of moving toward economic freedom by providing jobs and cultivating skills in a craft."
Clarkston, Georgia, is home to a growing and fluctuating population of refugees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Comments
What a cool lady! Inspirational, I would love to someday give back in this manner.
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