Hats off to the Refugee Family Working Group

Our hats are off to Andy Schlickman, Marilyn Wroblewski, Sheila Holder, Carol Nielsen, Michelle Novak, Karen Courtright, Christine Peters, Jeanne Kerl, Ellie Feddersen, Steve Serikaku, Jane Bannor, and Lee Bannor for their support of two families:

** Ghufran and her children, Rayyan, Hadi, and Taleb, who are refugees from Syria; and

** Sayeda, her toddler daughter, Asra, and her nephew, Akram, who are asylum seekers from Afghanistan.

Thank you for providing transportation to and from appointments with medical providers and state agencies, helping Ghufran and Sayeda navigate the local school district and learn English, and connecting the families with their local community through getting library cards and providing transportation for after school programming.

In addition to the support needed as Ghufran, Sayeda, and their families settle into living in a new country and culture, Carol has spent over 400 hours from June 2022 through February 2023 helping Ghufran through the process of hip replacement surgery and physical therapy; and Andy, Marilyn, and Sheila have spent similar hours since January 2022 assisting Sayeda with the legal process as an asylum seeker.

We are grateful for our entire community, who has come together to support these two families, including the efforts of the Mitten Tree donors and organizer, Bridget Wild, in December 2022 and all the individual financial donations. Right now, if you know of a reasonably priced two-bedroom rental unit, please contact Sheila Holder via Realm or at admin@ucevanston.org.

Thank you, Andy, Marilyn, Sheila, Carol, Michelle, Karen, Christine, Jeanne, Ellie, Steve, Jane, and Lee for your compassionate care!