Athens group helps refugees find home in United States

The federal agency recently changed its refugee program, according to ACSC Coordinator George Wood of Amesville.

“The regular refugee agencies were overwhelmed by the number of refugees approved to come to the US from Afghanistan and Ukraine,” he said. “So, they made it possible for ordinary citizens to band together and sponsor these people in need.”

Traditionally refugees land in large cities, where refugee agencies have full-time staffs that support the newcomers. Smaller areas, such as Athens County, do not have such agencies and usually do not have refugees arriving. New State Department programs changed that, and ACSC formed to take advantage of the opportunity.

“We saw a need and knew that Athens County would respond if it had a chance,” said Ryan Tevis, an ACSC member. “The response has been just what we hoped it would be.”

In July, ACSC brought a family of five refugees from Afghanistan to Athens. ACSC helped the family secure all the documentation they needed to begin their new lives in the United States. The family was part of the U.S. military’s airlift from Kabul and spent 10 months in a camp in Abu Dubai.

“They had been living in a one room apartment with very limited services,” explained Joette Weber, ACSC member. “They chose to come to Athens when they saw that we were willing to help them.”

The head of the family was a soldier who fought on the side of the United States and whose life was in danger had the family remained in Afghanistan.

After getting the necessary documentation, ACSC helped the Afghan family go to Houston, Texas, where they have relatives.

“We are happy they could go on to live with family. The children are in school, and the father has a job. It was a real success,” Weber said.

The program for Afghans ended, and ACSC is now working to bring refugees from the war zone in Ukraine to Athens.

“We have been approved to sponsor a family that is living in Brovary, Ukraine. The city is just outside of Kyiv and constantly bombed,” Wood said. “Several times our communications have been broken off by air raid sirens.”

The family from Ukraine consists of a mother and her two teenaged children. They recently arrived and are resettling in Athens, Wood said.

“The children have been warmly welcomed at school, and the family is enjoying the Athens community,” he said, in recent follow-up.

ACSC arranged the Ukrainian family’s visas and travel. The family traveled by train from Kyiv to the Polish border. From there they went to Krakow, Poland, where they took a flight to Ohio.

ACSC provided an apartment for the family which they furnished and stocked with food using donations from the Athens community. The organization reported that many Athens County residents donated goods and funds, as well as time helping move the furnishings into the apartment.

“We were able to equip the entire apartment using furniture, art, personal supplies, and more all donated by area residents,” said Marcia Burchby, an ACSC volunteer.

“It was what we hoped and expected,” added Tee Ford-Ahmed, an ACSC member. “Athens is a very generous community, and it has really stepped up to support these families.”

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson is encouraged by the work of ACSC. “Athens has always been a welcoming community, and this is just one more example of how our community reaches out to help those in need. Our international residents enrich life in Athens for all of us.”

The family from Ukraine is part of the U.S. State Department’s “Uniting for Ukraine” program. They will have temporary residency status and will return to Ukraine once the war is over. While here, the children attend school and the adult work to obtain a job.

ACSC will assist the family by providing housing, food, utilities and other necessities, while they become oriented to the area. ACSC also will connect them with English language learning services, medical care and submitting all the necessary state and federal documentation.

ACSC is a charitable, tax-exempt organization and is accepting donations to help refugee resettlement in the Athens area. Donations can be made to Athens County Sponsor Circle and sent to PO Box 215, Amesville, Ohio 45711.

Individuals interested in learning more about sponsoring refugees may also contact ACSC via email at {a}docgwood@gmail.com or call 740-590-1579.

The group is willing to provide presentations for area groups and assist others wanting to be part of welcoming refugees to the Athens area.