Help 3 Refugee Families Reach Safety in the Twin Cities

UPDATE March 23: Join us in celebrating that 3 households have arrived!

Exciting developments have occurred since our last update! While refugee resettlement programs remain paused, one very limited pathway has allowed a small number of fully-vetted travelers to enter the U.S. Our sponsor groups, eager to utilize the financial and human resources we've gathered, mobilized quickly to support this limited opportunity. We've welcomed 3 households (a total of 14 people) to our community!

Longfellow Welcomers were at the airport on February 6, February 12, and again on March 2. The newcomer families had traveled for days through four or five different airports. They were understandably exhausted. We greeted them with winter coats in various sizes, hats, gloves, water bottles, snacks, car seats, and heartfelt welcomes.

Other recent newcomers from completely different parts of the world were visibly moved by this news. They expressed profound relief at strangers finally reaching safety. Families still in their first months here quickly offered language assistance, friendship to adults starting school, and invitations to meals and playdates.

Welcomers across all 3 teams are collaborating extensively on providing warm clothing, culturally appropriate groceries and cooking items, resume-writing assistance, information about job fairs, transit routes, schools, and help in finding safe, affordable housing.

While much remains uncertain at national and international levels, welcoming these 3 families has brought us renewed hope. Significant work lies ahead to help these families build lives here, but we are strengthened by the support of our community near and far.

Your generosity made this possible—thank you for being part of this journey with us!

UPDATE January 28: Many thanks – and a sobering update!

In December, the Longfellow Welcomers (27 neighbors across 3 sponsor groups) were officially matched to support 13 newcomers, including 8 children and 5 adults, from 2 different countries, in 3 households. Thanks to your incredible support for this fundraiser, we were financially prepared to assist these families during their first months in our community.

Each sponsor team had been meeting weekly to plan and coordinate efforts – gathering in-kind donations of household items, connecting with landlords, and preparing to help newcomers navigate benefits and school enrollment.

However…

On January 20, the Trump Administration announced a suspension of refugee resettlement, blocking refugees from entering the country indefinitely, despite their thorough vetting and travel approval. This is the action we were racing to beat. While we were assured that families already matched would be able to travel, unfortunately, that has not turned out to be the case.

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is now suspended “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States." This includes the Welcome Corps private sponsorship program and all in-process matches.

Under the executive order:

Some important facts we’d like to share:

Next steps

Our sponsor groups are actively working to respond to this situation. Here’s what we are focusing on:

Thank you for standing with us in solidarity for those seeking safety and a new start.

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ORIGINAL FUNDRAISER

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We welcome YOU to this fundraiser, and in a matter of weeks we'll go to the airport to welcome three refugee families. A group of neighbors have formed three sponsor groups through Welcome Corps, a federal initiative led by the State Department that allows everyday Americans to sponsor refugees and provide a safe, legal pathway for refugees to come to the United States

In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary.

Your donation to this fundraiser is a concrete way to directly impact lives. Refugee families are some of the most vulnerable people on earth. Your money will be thoughtfully used by a small group of people... likely one or more people you know personally. With your support, three specific refugee families matched through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) will become part of our community.

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Please donate, and help us reach others for their support.

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Back to the neighbors... how did those neighbors get connected?

A social media post seeking six neighbor-partners revealed a strong energy for human connection... connection to neighbors, to learning more about local resources, and to offering practical support to a newcomer family. 27people quickly came together and sorted skill sets into three sponsor groups.

How do neighbors connect to refugees they don't know?

Welcome Corps is the program that structures the matching process. Our three sponsor groups have each submitted an application through WelcomeCorps.org that includes a training requirement, background checks, and fundraising to support refugees for their first 90 days in the United States.

Why is this a time-sensitive request for donations?

Each presidential administration can have significant influence on refugee resettlement. Post-election and ahead of inauguration, we have a narrow opportunity to work within the existing, familiar process. We are moving quickly to be matched in time for arrivals expected in early 2025.

What will we do?

As sponsors, we commit to providing a safe and welcoming experience for each family, offering guidance, friendship, and financial support from their arrival at the airport through their initial 90 days in the country—and with continued social support for 12 months. Together, we will help them to find appropriate housing, help enroll children in school, find healthcare and employment opportunities, and connect them to local services and organizations.

What are the financial responsibilities of a sponsor group?

3 sponsor groups x 6 family members each x $1,500 per person = $24,000 to help refugees navigate the intense first months between airport arrival and self-sufficiency. Grant funds will provide an additional $1,500 per person.

What will the money be used for?

100% of the funds we raise will be spent on supporting start-up and living expenses for the three sponsored families during their transition to independence in our community. We anticipate that most of it will go toward housing-related costs. And also boots, snow-pants, gloves -- Welcome to Minnesota in January!

Who are the refugees we'll be matched to?

We may be matched with refugees of any nationality from any region of the world. Each of the family matches may be nuclear families, multigenerational families, or adult siblings with spouses/kids. We don't expect the three families to have any connection to each other.

Before coming to the United States, all refugees, including those supported through the Welcome Corps, must complete thorough security vetting and a health screening by the U.S. government.

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Join us! You can also be a part of making a life-changing impact on those we'll support.

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KEY REFUGEE FACTS - UNHCR, October 2024

Would an example help this seem more human?

One Twin Cities sponsor group was matched with a family that included a parent and three kids. In episodes of ethnic violence across decades, this family lost loved ones and sustained injuries. After fleeing their country, they lived as refugees for more than 10 years before being resettled. In the Twin Cities, they are in stable housing in a safe neighborhood. In less than four months, the parent is working full-time and taking ESL classes. The children are flourishing in school and on sports teams. The sponsor group has completed their 90-day commitment and remains in contact socially and for help with things like benefits re-enrollment and anticipating income tax filing, green card renewal, etc.

Help us "actively seek to restore" three families (18 individuals)

"Keeping people in a refugee camp is punishing people who have committed no crime except trying to save their own lives and the lives of their loved ones... and if we do not actively seek their death in most cases, we also often do not actively seek to restore many of them to the life they had before, the life we have ourselves."

-- Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the book

The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives

MEMBERS OF THE THREE SPONSOR GROUPS

* indicates experienced sponsors now helping their group and additional refugee families

Sunday Longfellow Welcomers: Angela Butel, Annika & John Brindel, Hillary Oppmann, Leah Jaslow Combs, Cristina de Sobrino, Nadya Trytan, Eliza Tocher and Emily Garber.

Monday Longfellow Welcomers: Andrew Lubar*, Dez Bryant-Senes, Anne Parker*, Andrea Hansen, Mary Bach*, Esther Kearney, Melinda Kernik, and Patricia Mitchell*.

Tuesday Longfellow Welcomers: John Ratigan, Hannah Scherrer, Sarah Edwards, Laura Masulis, Alex Weck, Emmy Higgs Matzner, Shailendra Singh, Katja Amyx, Kristin Green, and Eva Zewdie*.

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Thank you for helping us support THREE refugee families!

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Since we are a private group of citizens, your donation is considered a gift, rather than a charitable contribution. Your generosity will greatly benefit the lives of these families.

To learn more about Welcome Corps, click here .