Our story

One Saturday morning, Bruce Garrison and Claire Holba met while volunteering at a local church. They came from different paths, but shared the same belief: every person, no matter where they come from, deserves dignity, belonging, and opportunity.

What began as small acts of welcome quickly grew into something larger. Together, they connected families with local resources, created spaces for conversation and learning, and built relationships that helped newcomers find not just support, but community.

We believe something simple, but powerful:

Communities don’t become welcoming by accident. They are built — together.

Bruce Garrison

CEO

Our story
One Saturday morning, Bruce Garrison and Claire Holba met while volunteering at a local church. They came from different paths, but shared the same belief: every person, no matter where they come from, deserves dignity, belonging, and opportunity.

What began as small acts of welcome quickly grew into something larger. Together, they connected families with local resources, created spaces for conversation and learning, and built relationships that helped newcomers find not just support, but community.

Founded in 2019, Patchwork Indy grew into one of Indiana’s most active refugee support organizations. By 2024, it had become the state’s designated Private Sponsorship Organization, helping mobilize local sponsor groups and prepare them to welcome refugee families.

Throughout 2024, Patchwork worked across Indiana to train communities in the practical work of resettlement — housing, school enrollment, public benefits, English learning, employment, and everyday integration.

That same year, residents from more than 40 Indiana ZIP codes helped form sponsorship groups. In 2024, Indiana was the number one state in the country for matching sponsorship groups with refugee families. This work positioned Patchwork as a leader in a new model of community-based refugee welcome.

Even as refugee arrivals slowed in 2025, Patchwork continued to help welcome Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders to the United States. These were individuals and families who had supported the U.S. government and military and were now rebuilding their lives in safety.

Despite growing challenges, Patchwork helped bring Afghan refugee SIV families to Indiana, Texas, Connecticut, and Virginia — expanding its work beyond one state while staying rooted in community-based support.

Many newly arrived families were being exploited by landlords and pushed into unsafe, unaffordable housing. Patchwork stepped in alongside local and state partners to expose fraudulent practices, protect families, and push for safer housing options.

What began as direct support quickly became advocacy. We learned that welcoming families well also means challenging the systems that put them at risk.

As refugee resettlement pathways changed, Patchwork adapted. While some routes were paused, the mission remained the same: helping displaced individuals and families find safety, stability, and belonging in welcoming communities.

That commitment also meant looking beyond Indianapolis. As new humanitarian pathways emerged, Patchwork began exploring ways to support Afghan families moving through Brazil, where community-based reception and integration efforts were expanding.

Even as some of those pathways were later paused, the broader vision remained clear: building systems of welcome that can respond flexibly as global displacement changes.