BY ROBERT MILLER / Dallas Morning News

Originally published August 19, 2012

Mosaic Family Services will name Jan Langbein and Paige Flink the 2012 Champions of Human Rights at a luncheon Oct. 12 at the Dallas Arboretum.

The award recognizes individuals who strive to ensure the protection of basic human rights and freedoms.

Langbein is executive director of Genesis Women’s Shelter, and Flink is executive director of The Family Place.

Mosaic Family Services, founded in 1993 by Dr. Walter Nguyen, is a Dallas nonprofit dedicated to providing culturally competent services to refugees and immigrants in crisis.

For more than 20 years, Langbein and Flink have led the two shelters dedicated to providing refuge for women and children fleeing abuse in Dallas.

“Through efforts to improve health in local refugee communities, Mosaic recognized that foreign-born survivors of domestic violence often faced challenges in accessing help from mainstream shelters and service providers,” Nguyen said.

In 1997, Mosaic began reaching out to refugee and immigrant communities about domestic violence. Last year, the agency helped 450 family violence survivors from more than 20 countries.

Mosaic’s services for battered immigrants include case management, shelter, counseling and legal representation.

“The idea for Mosaic to start its own shelter came from Ms. Langbein, who noticed that due to limited English and cultural differences such as food, foreign-born clients might benefit from having a shelter dedicated to meeting their unique needs,” Nguyen said. “Mosaic Family Services went on to establish Mosaic House, which allowed survivors to stay up to 90 days, provided kitchens for residents to cook their own food, and offered specialized educational opportunities including English as a Second Language classes.”

The Family Place and Genesis Women’s Shelter work closely with Mosaic, providing shelter for survivors of family violence and human trafficking when no beds are available at Mosaic House. “As longtime partners, we are delighted to be able to honor Jan and Paige for their life-saving work,” Nguyen said.

Angela Lee and Sylvia Gutierrez are co-chairwomen of the luncheon, which is sponsored by Angela and Lawrence Lee, Anthony Nguyen D.O., Bar Method Plano, Gowri and Alex Sharma, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Kid Kraft, Kings Ridge Book Club, Priscilla Beshears, Stonebriar Veterinary Centre and Worth Investment Group LLC.

Tables and individual tickets are available at mosaicservices.org/events. Tickets are $100 per person until Sept. 1 and $125 after that.

For more information about Mosaic Family Services, visit mosaicservices.org or call 214-821-5393.