Welcome to RefugeeMe
Welcome to RefugeeMe. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization formed in Charlotte NC to encourage and develop US citizen sponsors for individuals and families as defined by the USCIS guidelines as beneficiaries, seeking shelter from harm in their native countries in the United States and provide support services to immigrants in the United States.
Loving and supporting families and individuals who seek to live, not simply to live a better life.
Our All Volunteer Team
Michael R Dierkes
President, RefugeeMe.org
Michael is a freelance humanitarian living in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a young man, he worked at a summer camp in Camden, Missouri that offered children with muscular dystrophy a camp experience at the Lake of the Ozarks. As an adult, he worked as a volunteer at Recovering Hope Project a shelter in Huánuco, Peru for children who are survivors of sexual violence and trafficking. He has served as a volunteer at Pat's Place, Child Advocacy Center, and the Ada Jenkins Center. Michael became active in supporting the USCIS refugee, (parolee), programs initiated in 2021 and has sponsored two Ukrainian families to the USA and is in the process of sponsorship for a third family from Venezuela to Charlotte, NC. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Michael earned his undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.
Victoria S Gonzalez
Vice-President RefugeeMe.org
Victoria obtained her BA degree from the University of Connecticut, and her J.D. Degree from the University of Connecticut School Of Law. In the fall of 1993 Ms. Gonzalez moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in April of 1994. She participated in medical mission trips to remote areas in the province of Loja, Ecuador bringing underprivileged communities access to medical care. She volunteered at a battered women’s shelter and continues to be involved in programs that assist women. For nearly 25 years she was a co-host of call-in radio programs on Spanish language radio, which helped inform the Hispanic community regarding current immigration laws. In 2010 Ms. Gonzalez was the recipient of the Latin American "Excelente Awards" named Business Woman of the Year.
Rick Dunlap
Volunteer Advisor, RefugeeMe.org
Rick is the Director of Major Gifts for the Harris YMCA in Charlotte. After retiring from First Union National Bank in 2001 (now Wells Fargo), Rick spent a short stint as a “recovering banker”. Now in his 22nd year working with major donors and corporations, he secures funding for the philanthropic work the Y does in the community. A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Rick earned his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and a MBA from Penn State. After grad school he worked for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan before moving to Charlotte in 1979.
Phyllis Fondale
Board Director, RefugeeMe.org
Phyllis Fondale is the Director of Client Acquisition and Intake at RTS Law Group in Charlotte, NC and is currently serving as a Board Director for RefugeeMe.org