Karen Organization of Minnesota

KOM Volunteer Info Sessions
2024-11-08 10:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a short 30 minute volunteer info session to hear about current and upcoming volunteer needs with the Karen Organization of Minnesota. There will be a time for questions and an opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the end of the session!
Sign-Up:
Register for one of our upcoming sessions here on Zoom.
Sessions this fall:
Friday, September 6th, 10:00am – 10:30am
Wednesday, September 18th, 4:00pm – 4:30pm
Friday, October 4th, 10:00am – 10:30am
Wednesday, October 23rd, 4:00pm – 4:30pm
Friday, November 8th, 10:00am – 10:30am
Wednesday, December 4th, 4:00pm – 4:30pm

KOM 2024 Annual Gala
2024-11-21 17:30 - 21:30 | Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center, 6155 Earle Brown Dr, Brooklyn Center, MN, 55430, United States
KOM 2024 Annual Gala main event design. Art by: Eh Soe Dwe, Our Feet Will Carry Us (2023), Digital art, 8×8, copy of full story located at Mandalay Kitchen.

“Our Feet Will Carry Us”
KOM’s 2024 Annual Gala will be held on Thursday, November 21st at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center.
As the first social services agency for Karen refugees in the US, we’ve made history and changed the lives of refugees and immigrants over the past 16 years. Our network has grown due to persistence, innovation, and partnership.
We welcome you for a social hour, buffet dinner, raffle drawing, and lively program. This year, we are introducing awards to recognize those who exemplify our values and have helped to advance our mission.

Date & Time:
Thursday,
November 21st,
5:30pm – 9:30pm
Location:
Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center
6155 Earle Brown Dr,
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
Registration is now closed
You can still participate in our raffle and online silent auction! Find more info below.

Recognizing Our 2024 Gala Award Winners
Rosie Say, Culture Bearer Award Winner for KOM’s 2024 Annual Gala
Congratulations to Rosie Say for winning our Culture Bearer Award!
Rosie has been awarded the prestigious Culture Bearer Award for her incredible contributions to KOM’s mission, particularly through preserving and passing down the Karen weaving tradition to future generations.

Nominated and voted for by the KOM staff and Board of Directors, Rosie’s unwavering dedication to participating in community events has been recognized as a cherished gift. Her efforts continue to enrich the community, making a lasting impact on both culture and heritage.

Benjamin Aung, Service Award winner for KOM’s 2024 Annual Gala.
Congratulations to Benjamin Aung (in memoriam) for winning our Service Award
Mr. Benjamin Aung (deceased) was a pioneering leader in Minnesota’s Karen community and other communities from Burma.
Among the first to arrive from Burma, he sponsored many refugees during the initial resettlement wave, helping to build a supportive foundation for newcomers. As a co-founder of the Karen Organization of Minnesota (KOM) and a board member, his influence shaped decades of community growth and resilience.
His wife, Priscilla Aung, has also been a devoted advocate for the Karen community, supporting cultural preservation and empowerment. Inviting her and their family to the stage would honor not only Mr. Aung’s legacy but also her ongoing commitment, recognizing their profound and lasting impact on the community.

Congratulations to our Equity Champion Award winners Dr. Tonya Horn and
Dr. Shana Sniffen
Pictured: (second from the left), Dr. Shana Sniffen, MD and (far right), Dr. Tonya Horn, with the Karen Chemical Dependency Collaborative in 2017.
Dr. Tonya Horn and Dr. Shana Sniffen, are champions for health equity work in response to chemical dependency. Dr. Horn and Dr. Sniffen have been steadfast partners to KOM and many others in our community health and social services programs.
Dr. Horn was a founding board member of KOM. Over the past 17 years, she has contributed her skills in research, grant writing, and clinical social work to support KOM and the Karen community in many ways, including the development of the Karen Chemical Dependency Collaborative and KOM’s youth chemical health programs. She is a mentor to many young Karen professionals who are pursuing careers in mental health and substance use counseling. She has also advocated for policy changes and financial resources to remove barriers for people from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to become licensed mental health professionals.

Dr. Sniffen is a longtime advocate, supporter and friend to the Karen community. Dr. Sniffen co-founded KCDC (Karen Chemical Dependency Collaborative) with community leaders, which brought together community members across sectors and created many of the first Karen-language resources for substance use in the United States. Dr. Shana Sniffen was a physician at the Roselawn Clinic from 2009 to 2022. Most of her patients were Karen families whom she initially met during their public health screenings for newly arrived refugees and then continued as their primary care doctor. She left the Roselawn Clinic to move to Hawaii in 2022 to help her elderly father. She is now working with Native Hawaiian Indigenous families at a community health clinic and using many of the lessons learned from working with the Karen community to help her new patients.

Harold Torrence, Latin American Guitarist and Musician
Harold Torrence Set to Perform!
Harold Torrence is a Latin American Guitarist and Musician. He will be performing both on stage and throughout the event. A teacher as well as a musician, Torrence regularly plays at different venues across the Twin Cities.
Register to the KOM 2024 Gala to see this incredible musician perform!

Participate in Our Raffle
The Karen Organization of Minnesota will conduct a charitable raffle at our Annual Gala The raffle will raise funds for our programs serving refugees and immigrants in Minnesota.
Preview of raffle prize baskets.

RAFFLE PRIZES INCLUDE:
$250 R. F. Moeller Jeweler Gift Certificate
Two Gift Certificates for a One-Hour Elements Massage ($200 value)
Four Mister Car Wash Gift Certificates ($104 value)
Two Tickets to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum ($100 value)
4 Gift Certificates to Andiamo Restaurant ($100 value)
Lettuce Entertain You Gift Card For Multiple Restaurants ($100 value)
Four Tickets to the Minnesota Zoo ($96 value)
Two Gift Baskets with Funko Pop and Gas Gift Cards ($80 value)
Gift Certificates to Porter Creek Restaurant and Café Latte ($75 value)
Gift Cards to Costco and Oriental Trading ($75 value)
Five Ultimate Car Wash Gift Cards for Kwik Trip ($50 value)
Two Baked Goods Gift Baskets ($50 value each)

Please read KOM’s House Rules for the Raffle 2024
Raffle tickets cost $20 each and must be purchased in-person from KOM staff or board members, or at the KOM office.
Must be 18 or older to purchase a ticket or win a prize. Winners will be drawn at KOM’s Annual Gala on Thursday, November 21st, 2024, 5:30pm-9:30pm at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center, 6155 Earle Brown Dr, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430. Raffle tickets are not valid for event entry— gala tickets must be purchased separately. Need not be present to win. Winners will be posted on KOM’s website following the event. Winner must pick up prize at the Annual Gala or KOM office within 2 weeks of drawing date and present this raffle ticket stub to collect prize. Winner responsible for any applicable fees or taxes.

If you have any questions about the raffle, please contact Alice Buckner at (651) 202-3108 or events@mnkaren.org.

Our Online Silent Auction is Live!
Not able to attend our gala in-person? You can still support us online! The Karen Organization of Minnesota will conduct a charitable silent auction for one week leading up to our 2024 Annual Gala. Through the silent auction, we hope to raise at least $5,000 for our programs serving refugees and immigrants in Minnesota. This auction is online-only.
The online silent auction will close the evening of our gala just after 7pm. Silent auction winners will be notified immediately to their phone or email.
Sign up and start bidding on our 18 items here

Karen hand woven shirt, online silent auction item.

Karen hand woven textile, online silent auction item.

Thai painting on fabric, online silent auction item.

Thank you for your ongoing support of KOM, the Karen community, and immigrants and refugees in Minnesota. We look forward to celebrating with you at the KOM gala in November!

A special thank you to our sponsors of this year’s Gala:

PLATINUM SPONSOR:
M Health Fairview

GOLD SPONSORS:
Jody Baber State Farm Agency
Century College

Inver Grove Toyota and Maplewood Toyota
SILVER SPONSOR:
Japs-Olson Company Commercial Print & Direct Mailers

BRONZE SPONSORS
Amherst Wilder Foundation
Bethesda Family Medicine Clinic
BIX Produce Company
Como Senior High School Staff
Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans
Emmanuel Church
First Karen Baptist Church
Health Partners
Hmong American Partnership
Intek Plastics
K’Nyaw Baptist Church
K’Nyaw Loan Officers
Prodeo Academy
Roseville Adult Learning Center
Saint Paul Police Department
Shiloh Karen Baptist Church
SKD Auto Transport
St Thomas University
Trinity Church

KOM Volunteer Info Sessions
2024-12-04 16:00 - 16:30, 2025-01-10 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-02-14 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-03-14 10:00 - 10:30
Join us for a short 30 minute volunteer info session to hear about current and upcoming volunteer needs with the Karen Organization of Minnesota. There will be a time for questions and an opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the end of the session!
Sign-Up:
Register for one of our upcoming sessions here on Zoom.
Sessions this winter:
Friday, January 10th, 10:00am – 10:30am
Friday, February 14th, 10:00am – 10:30am
Friday, March 14th, 10:00am – 10:30am

Welcome Corps Information Session
2024-12-05 18:00 | First Karen Baptist Church, 3000 Hadley Ave N, Oakdale, MN, 55128, United States
Attend this event to learn about the Welcome Corps, a U.S. Department of State program that empowers communities to welcome refugees. If you applied and want to check the status of your application after the session please bring a photo ID so we can verify your identity.

*If you cannot attend Thursday, you can come to the KOM office on Friday, Dec. 6, 9am-12pm to ask the Welcome Corps to check the status of your application.
Don’t forget your ID!

Karen Culture Presentation - ONLINE!
2024-12-13 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-02-21 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-04-18 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-06-20 11:00 - 12:30
Are you interested in learning more about Karen (K’nyaw) culture? Join us for our Karen Culture Presentation online every other month.
During this presentation, participants with learn about the Karen (K’nyaw) history, culture, and resettlement in the U.S. We will explore the history of the Karen and how they became refugees, and discuss how the Karen have adapted to life in the U.S. We will also give a brief overview of Karen culture, covering everything from food, to clothing, to family, to communication styles, and more. Come with open ears and any questions.
This presentation will be delivered online. RSVP on Zoom to one of our upcoming sessions to receive the link:
RSVP here
*Suggested donation of $15 to help cover staff time and preparation:
Donate here
Want to request a presentation for a different date tailored to your group? Please see our Karen Culture Presentations page for more details and to fill out a request.

Karen Traditional New Year Celebration 2764
2025-01-04 07:30 - 20:00, 2025-01-05 10:00 - 16:00 | Washington Technology Magnet School, 1495 Rice Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55117, United States
The Karen New Year Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the 2764 Karen Traditional New Year Celebration to be held at Washington Tech Magnet School on January 4th and 5th, 2025.
Thank you to members of the organizing committee: Karen Culture Organization of Minnesota, Karen Community of Minnesota, Karen Buddhist Association of Minnesota, and Karen Organization of Minnesota.
Location
Washington Technology Magnet School, 1495 Rice Street, Saint Paul, MN 55117
Schedule of Events
Saturday, January 4th, 2025: (Free Admission)
Sports Tournament 7:30am – 5:00pm
Concert Night 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Sunday, January 5th, 2025: (Free Admission)
Main Ceremony 10:00am – 4:00pm
Resource Fair 10:00am – 4:00pm
Free boxed lunch provided on Sunday, January 5th during the main ceremony. Additional food will also be available for sale from vendors.
Main Event Contact Info
Interested in sponsorship? Contact Alice Buckner at 651-202-3108, or Po Eh at 651-363-9359.
For all other event related info, contact Ku Say at 507-379-7627, Eh Tah Khu at 651-460-0668, or Nay Htoo at 651-529-5066.

Sports Tournament

Karen New Year will have a Men and Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, January 4th, 2025 from 8:00am – 5:00pm.
1st Place Prize: $1,000 + Trophy and Medals
2nd Place Prize: $700 + Trophy and Medals
Registration fee is $100. Teams are responsible for cleaning up after themselves.
Men’s Volleyball Contact: Pwe Ku, 320-380-5994
Women’s Volleyball Contact: Htee Moo Shee, 651-447-0489

Financial Education Workshops
2025-02-13 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-02-27 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-03-13 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-03-27 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-10 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-04-24 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-05-08 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-05-22 13:00 - 15:00 and 1 more date
This month, the Karen Organization of Minnesota is hosting financial education workshops online for free to learn about setting financial goals, budgeting, and other important topics.
Upcoming workshops:
Budgeting Workshop: Thurs, May 22nd, 1-3 p.m. ONLINE
Credit Workshop: Thurs, June 12th, 9:30-11:30 a.m. ONLINE
Savings Workshop: Thurs, June 26th, 1-3 p.m. ONLINE
Sign-Up:
Complete this form to register for an online financial workshop. After you submit the form, you will receive an email with the link to join.
Our workshops are open to Minnesota residents. Additional individual coaching services from KOM are available to residents of the Twin Cities Metro Area.
If you choose to participate in the workshop, you may receive a $25 gift card for attending and participating fully. To receive a gift card, you will be asked to show proof of your name and that you are Minnesota residents.
With questions, please contact Latyran Adams
Ladams@mnkaren.org | 651-815-6844

Free Karen Organization of Minnesota Financial Coaching Program
Our Financial Employer Resource Navigators (FERNS) can help you make financial decisions that help you manage your expenses now and create pathways to build assets for the future. Our FERNS can help you create a budget, understand and rebuild your credit, strategies to pay off debt, and build and savings plan to help you reach your financial goals. In addition, our FERNS support you with career planning, access to job training programs to support you with increasing your employer wage and assist you with job preparation and placement to stabilize your situation.
To schedule an appointment
If you have questions about Financial Coaching Program, please email ladams@mnkaren.org.

Tea With KOM
2025-04-17 15:30 - 16:30, 2025-05-15 18:30 - 19:30, 2025-06-19 15:30 - 16:30
Join us for a new podcast-style series, Tea With KOM, where our Development Director, Alice, sits down with guest speakers from within KOM to discuss community stories, news, and other important topics. This engaging and informative session will give you an inside look at the work KOM is doing and how it impacts the community. Whether you’re a long-time supporter or new to KOM, this is the perfect opportunity to learn, engage, and connect.

Click here to join on Zoom

Upcoming Sessions:
Thursday, April 17th, 3:30 – 4:30pm
Guest Speaker: Suzanne Olive, KOM Volunteer Coordinator
Topic: April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month! Join us to hear about the impact volunteers have had on KOM throughout the years and what they’ve been up to this year. Suzanne is excited to tell you about the incredible people who have given time and skills to KOM’s mission. Suzanne has worked at KOM since 2017, starting as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Throughout the years, she’s helped coordinate KOM’s volunteer program, oversee communications and outreach presentations, and develop paid internship positions.
Thursday, May 15th, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Topic: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

လါ​မ့ၤ​ (ဒ့ၣ်​ညါ​) မ့ၣ်​ဝဲ​ဒၣ်​ သး​ဒီး​တၢ်​ဆိ​က​မိၣ်​ တၢ်​အိၣ်​ဆူၣ်​အိၣ်​ချ့​တၢ်​ပာ်​သူၣ်​ပာ်​သး​အ​လါ​

Join us for a vital conversation on Zoom with KOM health program staff this Mental Health Action Day on Thursday, May 15th, 2025.

Conversation topics:
What are the mental health challenges for our community?

What free programs and services are available at KOM or locally in response to these challenges?

How can I get involved as a volunteer?
What are some easy ways to improve our daily mental wellbeing?

ဟဲ​နုာ်​လီၤ​က​တိၤ​သ​ကိး​တၢ်​ဒီး​ပ​ဝဲ​ က​ညီ​က​ရၢ​မဲၣ်​နံၣ်​စိ​ထၣ်​ KOM, တၢ်​အိၣ်​ဆူၣ်​အိၣ်​ချ့​ပှၤ​တ​ဝၢ​ပှၤ​မၤ​တၢ်​ဖိ​တ​ဖၣ်​လၢ​ Zoom (စူ​မ်​) အ​ပူၤ​ လၢ​သး​ဒီး​တၢ်​ဆိ​က​မိၣ်​တၢ်​အိၣ်​ဆူၣ်​အိၣ်​ချ့​တၢ်​ဟူး​တၢ်​ဂဲၤ​မုၢ်​နံၤ​လၢ​ မုၢ်​လွံၢ်​နံၤ​ (မုၢ်​ပျဲၤ​), လါ​မ့ၤ​ (ဒ့ၣ်​ညါ​) ၥ၅​သီ​, ၂​ဝ၂၅​ န့ၣ်​တ​က့ၢ်​.

တၢ်​ဂ့ၢ်​လၢ​တၢ်​က​စံး​က​တိၤ​သ​ကိး​အ​ခိၣ်​တီ​တ​ဖၣ်​:

တၢ်​ကီ​တၢ်​ခဲ​လၢ​အ​ဘၣ်​ထွဲ​လိာ်​ဃုာ်​ဒီး​သး​ဒီး​တၢ်​ဆိ​က​မိၣ်​တၢ်​အိၣ်​ဆူၣ်​အိၣ်​ချ့​လၢ​ပ​ပှၤ​တ​ဝၢ​အ​ပူၤ​န့ၣ်​မ့ၢ်​မ​နုၤ​သ့ၣ်​တ​ဖၣ်​လဲၣ်​?

လၢ​တၢ်​က​ဘှါ​ဆှဲ​တၢ်​ဂ့ၢ်​ကီ​သ့ၣ်​တ​ဖၣ်​အံၤ​အ​ဂီၢ်​, က​ညီ​က​ရၢ​မဲၣ်​နံၣ်​စိ​ထၣ်​ KOM, မ့​တ​မ့ၢ်​ လၢ​လီၢ်​က​ဝီၤ​ပူၤ​, တၢ်​ရဲၣ်​တၢ်​ကျဲၤ​ဒီး​တၢ်​ဆီၣ်​ထွဲ​မၤ​စၢၤ​အ​ကျိၤ​အ​ကျဲ​ န​ဒိး​န့ၢ်​အီၤ​သ့​ လၢ​တ​လၢာ်​အ​ပှ့ၤ​အ​က​လံၤ​မ့ၢ်​မ​နုၤ​ သ့ၣ်​တ​ဖၣ်​လဲၣ်​.

ယ​မၤ​သ​ကိး​တၢ်​ဒ်​ပှၤ​မၤ​တၢ်​လၢ​တၢ်​သး​အိၣ်​မုာ်​သး​မၤ​စၢၤ​တၢ်​တ​ဂၤ​အ​သိး​က​သ့​ဒ်​လဲၣ်​?

ကျဲ​လၢ​အ​ညီ​က​တၢၢ်​လၢ​က​မၤ​ဂ့ၤ​ထီၣ်​ပ​သး​တၢ်​ဆိ​က​မိၣ်​တၢ်​အိၣ်​ဆူၣ်​အိၣ်​ချ့​န့ၣ်​မ့ၢ်​တၢ်​မ​နုၤ​လဲၣ်​?

Thursday, June 19th, 3:30 – 4:30pm
Topic: Continuing the Conversation about Mental Health in the Karen Community
Join our Development Director and one of our community health staff for a casual conversation about mental health challenges for our community, with time for questions and meaningful discussion.

How to Join
These sessions will be delivered online on Zoom and are open to everyone, no RSVP needed. All we ask is that you join in the first 15 minutes. Join on Zoom here.
Our Tea With KOM sessions are completely free to tune into and we encourage all to join us.
With questions, contact Alice Buckner.

Apprentice Ready Info Sessions
2025-04-18 09:00 - 11:00, 2025-05-23 09:00 - 11:00 | Karen Organization of Minnesota, 2353 Rice Street, Suite 240, Roseville, MN, 55113, United States
Interested in exploring a career path? Join us for an Information Session for our Apprentice Ready programs at the Karen Organization of Minnesota. You’ll get all the details about our program options and the jobs you can do in the trades after completing our training.

Meet at KOM on Friday at 9 a.m. on April 18 or May 23!
Sign up here to let us know you’re coming and receive a reminder email.

Karenni Kay Htoe Boe Festival
2025-04-19 10:00 - 18:00, 2025-04-20 08:00 - 21:00 | Como Park Senior High, 740 Rose Ave W, St Paul, MN, 55117, United States
The Karenni Community of Minnesota is hosting their Kay Htoe Boe celebration on April 19th. Check out their flyers below and Facebook page for more information.

Schedule of Events:
Saturday, April 19th
10:00am: Main Ceremony
3:00pm: Entertainment
Location: Como Park Senior High
Sunday, April 20th
8:00am – 9:00pm
Volleyball Tournament
Location: North Dale Recreation Center

The Karenni people are known as the “Red Karen” and live in a small, mountainous region to the north of Karen State and west of Thailand. There are over a dozen ethnic Karenni subgroups, but they all speak the same language (with only small variations in dialect). The most important celebration for Karenni people is Kay Htoe Bo. This festival reflects the story on how the earth came into being. During the celebration, Karenni people dance around a pole in order to maintain good health.

World Refugee Day Concert
2025-06-20 18:30 - 21:00 | PILLLAR Forum Cafe & Bar, 2300 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55418, United States
In honor of World Refugee Day, Songs for a New Home is putting on a benefit concert to support the Karen Organization of Minnesota on Friday, June 20th, 2025 at Pilllar Forum and Cafe in Minneapolis. There will also be Afghan food from The Thyme Machine food truck!

Artists
Featuring artists from Afghanistan, Minnesota, Myanmar, Venezuela, and more.
Artists include: Sentir Venezolano, Ywa Hay Moo, Eh Ler Tha & Eh Wah, Ti Ter Ha Min, Rebaca Moo, Peace Music, The Taxpayers
Tickets
Get tickets to the event here.
Tickets are $15, and limited to capacity at the cafe.
Livestream
The concert will also be livestreamed for viewers to watch and listen from home!
Click this link any time between now and the day of the concert on June 20th at 7:00pm CT, or watch on YouTube below:

For listeners who want to donate to KOM while watching, you can either click the link in the YouTube video description or use the QR code that’s on the thumbnail. To do that, you point your phone’s camera at the QR code and tap the word “open”, or take a screenshot of the QR code and then tap on the picture of the QR code.
Date, Time, & Location
Friday, June 20th, 2025
Doors open at 6:30pm, music starts at 7:00pm
Location: PILLLAR Forum Cafe & Bar, 2300 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
About Songs for a New Home
Information from their website:
Songs for a New Home is a coalition of musicians from around the world that want to help fund refugee support organizations.. 100% of all funds raised go to projects that help refugee families settle into their new homes.
Here’s how Songs for a New Home works:
We release a new song from a different artist every month via our website, Patreon, and an email newsletter. Subscribers 1) receive new music by an international musician each month, and 2) get to help support a small organization doing great work on behalf of refugee families. Folks can become subscribers for anywhere from a dollar per month to, well, infinity.
Funds are set up to be delivered each month directly to our recipient’s Paypal account in order to make things easy and transparent.
