Corvallis for Refugees
It is easy to take for granted the countless conveniences of familiarity with our own city, culture, and language. The everyday tasks of picking up groceries, making a doctor’s appointment, or reserving a library book are almost effortless.
Imagine for a moment that you are responsible for four small children and an elderly parent, cannot speak the local language, have no vehicle, and are faced with a health emergency or run out of food. Navigating daily life gets complicated quickly!
A group of volunteers from Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan joined to form a “Good Neighbor Team” to welcome a Syrian family of seven who arrived in February of this year. By partnering with Corvallis For Refugees (CFR) in this way, we are learning to take nothing for granted as we walk alongside our new neighbors from across the globe. We admire their tenacity, hospitality, and good humor even as we learn more about their own faith and culture. We sometimes witness our white privilege in comparison with our friends who lack the same advantage.
We exchange smiles and hugs with a toddler who gives us a high-five, then share the joy of watching another ride her first bike, or make his first goal on a soccer team, or proudly enroll in school. CFR is a relatively new organization designed to help refugee families acclimate to life in America by helping them locate housing, find employment, and navigate organizations such as immigration, health care, and education.
Teams like ours are designed to befriend families and ease their transition, with lots of mutual learning and cooperation along the way. By offering rides, teaching English lessons, sharing meals, and planning birthdays and holidays, we share life with one another during the family’s first transitional year in America. It takes time and energy, to be sure, but if this interests you, it isn’t too late to join our team and meet the family personally, or to join a new group welcoming an incoming family.
If that isn’t for you but you’re excited about the ministry, CFR offers many ways to get involved. Many of you have already supplied “welcome home kits” of necessary household items, which remains an ongoing need as more families arrive. Others have contributed financially, which is a vital way to support the work of CFR.
If you’d like to volunteer your time, all who attend a short CFR volunteer training session can simply subscribe to an email list of occasional needs like moving a family across town, setting up furniture, or greeting newcomers at the airport. Others volunteer weekly as English tutors or help families learn the bus system. If you have a heart for welcoming new neighbors, attend the Corvallis For Refugees THRIVE fundraising event on October 11th, or speak to one of the folks on our Good Neighbor Team: Andrew and Michelle Cornwell, Tricia Boyle, Gerda Godly, Dan Llewellan, Sue Jackson, John and Rosemary Magee, Claudia and Dave Raleigh, Andrew Toth-Fejel.