Chobani founder to speak at World Refugee Day celebration in Utica

UTICA, N.Y. — Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya will be the keynote speaker at The Center’s celebration of World Refugee Day on June 8. The free public event takes place from 12-4 p.m. at Mohawk Valley Community College’s Jorgensen Athletic Center in Utica.

Ulukaya, originally from Turkey and of Kurdish descent, has been honored for both his innovative approach to business and his work on the refugee crisis.

The event will also feature a collection of educational displays providing insights into refugee resettlement, the refugee experience, and the contributions refugees have made to Utica and the region. Activities include music and dance performances, a fashion show, impersonators, food trucks, and more.

Area employers will host a job fair in the MVCC field house during the event.

“Promoting equality and opportunity is our core focus,” Center Executive Director Shelly Callahan said in a press release announcing the event. “We act as one of the essential links of a solid chain changing the trajectory of a refugee’s life.”

Event sponsors include Chobani, Bank of Utica, Oneida Nation Enterprises, Lavoda, CNY Arts, The Upstate Institute at Colgate University, Community Memorial Hospital, The Fountainhead Group, and MVCC.

The Center, formerly known as the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, is a nonprofit organization that provides services to refugees, immigrants, and individuals with limited proficiency in English. Founded in 1981, the Center has resettled more than 17,000 refugees in the Mohawk Valley area.