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<div>A few days before Christmas, 2024, my mom, <strong>Elsa van der Laaken</strong>, moved into her new retirement home, the Terraces at Park Marino, in Altadena, CA. The photo was taken on Christmas Day at the patio overlooking Eaton Canyon. I spoke with her on Christmas Day, and she was so excited about her new place and the beautiful views.

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<div>On Tuesday evening, January 7th, she got a knock on her door and was told she had to evacuate immediately. <strong>The Eaton fire had started just 1 mile north of her new home, was moving at an incredible speed down the canyon, and they had little warning to get to safety.</strong> With just the clothes she was wearing and her walker, volunteers and first responders helped her to a bus where she and other residents were taken to an emergency shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center. My sister and family picked her up from there a few hours later. That night, the retirement home burned down, and she lost everything.

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<div>I spoke with her the next day, and she was still in shock but in relatively good spirits. You don't realize how little things like not having your eyeglasses, your prescriptions, or even a clean pair of underwear make life so difficult. We are very fortunate to have family nearby and that my mom is safe. But now we need to help her rebuild and restock. <strong>She needs clothes, some comforts, and some things she can call her own.</strong> After all, she is getting tired of wearing her grandson's clothes! I am starting this fundraiser to help her get essentials. In due course, she will also be posting an Amazon wish list. Yes, we were able to get her logged into her Amazon account! Donations to this fundraiser will be transferred to my mom. Thank you all for reaching out and asking how you could help!

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<div>Dirk ter Veer

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Help Elsa Rebuild After the Fire

<div><a href="https://firstpreslogan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">First Presbyterian Church of Logan</a>, Utah, has partnered with <a href="https://welcomecorps.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Welcome Corps</a> to form a private sponsorship group to welcome refugees to the Cache Valley area. Welcome Corps is a public-private sponsorship program backed by the U.S. Department of State. Refugees identified by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) are eligible for resettlement in the United States through Welcome Corps private sponsorship groups like ours.
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<div>Why did I get involved with Welcome Corps and why am I asking for your donations? I came to the United States as an immigrant with a few suitcases and a dream to become an engineer. 30+ years later, I have a successful aerospace engineering career, have become a US citizen, and have served 20+ years in the United States Air Force. The American Dream is a real thing and this country offers great diversity and opportunity. I have seen so many successful immigrant stories throughout this country and I want to share the American Dream with others.
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<div>While serving in the United States Air Force, I spent a considerable amount of time deployed to Afghanistan. When my wife and I relocated to the Cache Valley area in Utah, we were introduced to the <a href="https://cacherefugees.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection</a> (CRIC). CRIC provides services to immigrants and refugees and is an official refugee resettlement agency approved by the U.S. Department of State. While volunteering with CRIC, I learned about their extremely successful resettlement program for refugees from Afghanistan. I had to meet these refugees and soon found out all of them had worked for the U.S. government in some capacity. They all come from the Khost Province and were surprised that I knew where Khost was. I showed them photos of my deployments and the airfields I used to fly into in the Khost Province. We immediately formed a bond because I understood their homeland. I asked them if they liked it here in Cache Valley and they pointed to the mountains all around us, "It is like home." CRIC is one of the few organizations that has been extremely successful in resettling these refugees. Within a few weeks, they are all gainfully employed and self-sufficient. CRIC puts them in touch with community services, manages their cases, and helps them enroll in English classes. And the local employers love them and ask for more. It was with my association with CRIC that I learned about Welcome Corps. Official resettlement agencies are resource-limited and operate on a combination of private donations and state funding. They have limited funding for refugee resettlement. The U.S. State Department backed the idea of public-private partnerships like Welcome Corps to increase the reach into each community. Our private sponsor group went through a government vetting process with background checks. Once we got approved, we can now officially receive USRAP refugees.  These refugees reside in one of the refugee camps throughout the world and have already been vetted by the U.S. government.  They are just awaiting matching with a group like ours.  Once matched, their travel to Salt Lake City International Airport is arranged by the U.S. government and we take over from there.
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<div>We must raise $2425 per refugee we sponsor. Private donations helps us reach the minimum funds required to sponsor a refugee for their first 90 days in the United States. During a refugee's first 90 days in the United States, our group provides case management services to the refugee. We meet them at the airport, find them housing, find them employment, introduce them to public benefits and healthcare services, enroll their children in school, enroll them in ESL classes (if required), and mentor them through the initial culture shock of living in a new country. But, the most important aspect is that we welcome them to our community. We represent our local community.  CRIC history has shown that a refugee will be self-sufficient after the first 90 days, but we hope to have lifelong friendship with our new arrivals.
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<div>$2425 is not a lot to stretch over 90 days. We realize that this amount sometimes does not cover the cost of living for the first 90 days and we seek to raise more. Our church group currently consists of 19 volunteers from all walks of life and I act as the Private Sponsor Group Coordinator. Our church decided that Welcome Corps was a perfect community outreach mission for our members.  We welcome anyone from our local community to join our Private Sponsor Group.  All funds raised through this GoFundMe are transferred to a church sub-account specifically for our Welcome Corps group.
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First Presbyterian Church of Logan - Welcome Corps

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