WHO NEEDS YOU
Journey's End
A New Beginning
By Bruce Eaton
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There’s more to Han Moe’s story. Han and his wife, Lay, came to Buffalo only three and a half years ago after a long wait in a refugee camp in Thailand. As a former freedom fighter in the Burmese jungles, he would have faced imprisonment and possible death if he had returned to his homeland. Here he enjoys the freedoms that eluded him on the other side of the globe. Iif Han Moe’s story could be told by thousands of Buffalonians, the city’s future would most certainly be brighter
One of the more troubling Census Bureau statistics regarding Buffalo is that during the Masiello administration, no comparable-sized city in the country has lost more immigrants as a percentage of its population. While leaders cast about for magic bullet projects, other cities are focusing on a more personal, cost-effective, and proven means of stimulating theireconomies: legal immigrants eager to capitalize on the American Dream. For contrary to any misconceptions or outright prejudices, immigrants not only contribute to a local economy and revitalize neighborhoods, they also account for nearly twenty percent of small business startups.
To families suffering in dangerous living conditions, Buffalo is the proverbial shining city on the hill, regardless of whether or not it has a winning hockey team or a casino.
At the forefront of the refugee resettlement effort in Western New York is Journey’s End Refugee Services, a community organization affiliated with Church World Service and Episcopal Migration Ministries. It’s located in the former WNED headquarters on Buffalo’s West Side. In the past fifteen years, Journey’s End has helped over 1500 people—over 200 in 2003 alone—from around the world settle in and around Buffalo. Founded initially to meet the needs of Cambodian refugees, Journey’s End has since helped families escape persecution in countries such as Burma, Bosnia. Vietnam, Sudan, and, most recently, Somalia and Cuba.
Prospective refugees undergo interviews and background checks by organizations including the United Nations, the FBI, and the CIA. Only 70,000 refugees are cleared for resettlement in the U.S. each year, and life in America brings a new set of challenges.
Refugee families often arrive in Buffalo with all of their possessions in a single suitcase. They need the basic tools for setting up a functional household. Children must be enrolled in school. Adults must find work quickly as refugees are required to be self-supporting within a short period of time. And at every step, they face cultural and language barriers in an unfamiliar city. That’s where Journey’s End and an extended team of volunteers play a vital role.
Each refugee family is sponsored by a church or civic group that serves as a support team during the first year. An ideal sponsorship team has members of all ages, from retirees with the flexibility during the daytime to children who will prove that language is no barrier to friendship.
As I learned firsthand as part of a sponsorship team for a Vietnamese family, the rewards of sponsoring a refugee family are many. You will gain a new appreciation and understanding for both your city and your country. You will have the satisfaction of helping people start a new life, people who in turn will help our region become a better place to live. You will learn that the best way to expand your comfort zone is to get outside of it.
Journey’s End staff member Mitch Cummings emphasizes that although sponsorship teams are always needed, “There are many individual opportunities for volunteers to help with our efforts.” There are also internship opportunities for college students and projects for high school and Scouting groups.
Han Moe estimates that there are about thirty fellow refugees from Burma in Buffalo. By contrast, Fort Wayne, Indiana has a Burmese population of over 3,000, living in a growing neighborhood with shops and restaurants and a person-to-person support network. The difference? A city government that has actively recruited the Burmese refugees and a citizenry that has extended a helping hand.
Imagine for a moment the positive impact on Buffalo if, say, our Cuban or Vietnamese population were to reach a critical mass and be able to create its own “community within a city” as earlier immigrants once did, enriching our area with talent, energy, and culture. Through helping these families in their journey to this country, we become fellow travelers in the quintessential American Journey, heading towards brighter horizons for us all.
For more information on Journey’s End Refugee Services and refugee family sponsorship, please contact Mitch Cummings at 716-882-7196.
Bruce Eaton is a regular contributor to Spree.
WHO NEEDS YOU
Meaningful Giving: Holiday Volunteering
By Maria Scrivani
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Roswell holiday card volunteers
Suzanne Szustakowski and Romaine Rustum. Photo courtesy of Roswell Park Institute. |
One place that’s always looking for volunteers is Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Year round they are looking for compassionate individuals willing to share their time and talent, “touching the life of a cancer patient in some way,” according to Susan Siegal, director of the institute’s volunteer services.
You can sign on as an errand/escort volunteer, working for specific departments and/or staff. You can be a host/liaison volunteer, helping to make patients comfortable by offering snacks, games, puzzles, or reading materials in ambulatory clinics. Or you can be a visiting volunteer, visiting patients who might not otherwise receive visitors.
At holiday time, Roswell Park has particular volunteer needs. The Annual Holiday Card Project, featuring cards with artwork created by patients and their families, is in its fourteenth year. This year the sale has been expanded to include scarves, ornaments, amaryllis plants, and chocolate popcorn and candy, in addition to the cards. Volunteers are needed to assist in the holiday card inventory room at the hospital filling orders, labeling packages, and assembling holiday card variety packs.
Student and adult organizations are also invited to volunteer to sell this merchandise. They may help with community sales, held at various locations throughout Western New York, or at special sales in area malls, held every weekend in December. Proceeds from sales of the Roswell Park Holiday Card and Gift collection benefit cancer research, treatment, and education programs. To volunteer for the holiday card project, or for other opportunities, call Susan Siegal at 845-5708.
The holiday spirit literally shines at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, where the annual Festival of Trees, in its twenty-sixth year, opened November 21 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown. A committee of volunteers has created the wonderland of fabulously decorated trees and other holiday displays, and volunteers are still needed to help with various aspects of the festival, which runs through December 7. The last weekend’s schedule includes a Breakfast with Santa & Friends and daylong activities for the entire family on December 6, plus a Grand Finale Brunch Among the Trees December 7.
The Festival of Trees proceeds are used to upgrade equipment and facilities at the hospital. If you’d like to help with this holiday extravaganza, call The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation, 878-7313.
People Inc., a non-profit human services agency offering a variety of services for seniors, families, and individuals with disabilities, needs volunteers year-round, and the holidays offer particular opportunities. Consider working with individuals who have Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, or other health problems resulting in memory loss. Volunteers can help them make memories by joining in the festivities of seasonal activities and outings. Contact Edin Barone at Seniors Unlimited, 853-4500.
If physical activity is your forte, you may wish to volunteer at People Inc.’s Senior Housing office, where you can sign on in December to help “spruce up for spring” the agency’s six senior housing facilities. Call Denise Paszkiewicz at 634-8132.
Finally, the Young Adult Life Transitions Program of People Inc. kicks off a “Share Your Skills” program in December. Volunteers are invited to demonstrate their talents, from painting to crafts and more, for young adults ages 18-23 dealing with developmental disabilities. This is a fun way to share holiday spirit while helping the community. Call Sharon Morrissey at 634-8132.
These are just a few of the many volunteer opportunities that exist in our community that you can participate in to share the spirit of the season. For more ideas, check with your local church or synagogue for volunteering to deliver gifts and serve holiday meals or to simply visit those who will be alone this holiday. Give the gift of your time, and get in return a gift of the season’s goodwill.
Maria Scrivani is a free-lance writer and former staff reporter for the Buffalo News.
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