People That Move Us: The Founder of Hello Neighbor

When Sloane Davidson decided to start a family, she chose to move back to her hometown of Pittsburgh so she would have the support system of family and friends. A support system is a luxury most of the 3 million refugees in the U.S. no longer have after being displaced from their homes and separated from their families and friends.

Although Sloane had almost two decades of nonprofit and international development experience, moving back to Pittsburgh allowed the new mother to explore how she could make a difference in the international community. In the midst of political turmoil after the 2016 election, Sloane’s new mission became clear when she volunteered to host a Syrian refugee family for Thanksgiving. She discovered just how little support these refugees had after they were settled by local resettlement agencies.

After sharing her Thanksgiving experience in a viral blog post over 1,200 people reached out to Slone wanting to know how to help. She decided to develop Hello Neighbor, an organization that matches post-resettlement refugee families with dedicated neighbors who help them acclimate to the American culture.