2023 Newsletter
Rivertowns for Refugees has had a busy 2023! As the end of the year approaches, we would like to let you know once again how much your support for Rivertown for Refugees has meant to families fleeing war and oppression around the world. We would also like to tell you about some of our achievements over the past year:
- Thanks to your support, over the summer our family of six from Mariupol, Ukraine moved to Binghamton NY! The four children are happily enrolled in the local school system. Valek has found a job for a plumbing company and Anna has secured a job at SUNY Binghamton. With our financial support, Valek's parents were able to flee the war and Ukraine are now safely living in Binghamton with their grandchildren.
- The Afghan family of eight from Kabul is now flourishing in Yonkers NY. Last summer, the children told us that they couldn’t wait for school to start in September! This year, we were able to help the eldest, Jawad, with his college application process, and we are pleased to report that he is now attending SUNY Binghamton. We were also able to provide funding for Jawad’s books and other expenses, as well as provide financial help and guidance for his family’s green card applications.
- Kudos to the Yonkers school system for their continued support of our refugee families and the many others who have settled in Yonkers!
- Partnering with Catholic Charities as lead agency and Hearts and Homes for Refugees, we secured an apartment and furnishings for a family of three fleeing persecution and hardship in Guatemala. Our volunteers spent many hours furnishing and cleaning the apartment, with help from two Afghan boys who refused any payment! We also helped to secure employment for the mother and eldest son, provide ESL lessons, enroll the youngest in school, and secure other needed assistance.
- Through Catholic Charities and with the help of Hearts and Homes for Refugees, we secured an apartment in Yonkers for a young woman fleeing hardship in Venezuela. We are happy to report that she is now employed and enjoying her ESL lessons at a local school. Recently we celebrated her birthday, where more than a few tears of gratitude were shed.
- Thanks to your financial support we were able to provide laundry services and gift cards for the asylee families temporarily residing in Ardsley NY. Our volunteers also helped to provide food for a wonderful community Thanksgiving meal at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains.
- We assisted a nephew of the Ahmed family, a US-trained helicopter pilot, resettle in Yonkers. We provided financial assistance for him so he could complete a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training course allowing him to find employment driving a tractor trailer for a large trucking company. Moving forward, we are in the process of aiding this young man to bring his wife and two young children from Afghanistan to join him in the US.
In the seven years since we began, Rivertowns for Refugees has helped resettle families and individuals from Central and South America, Burma, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. With your ongoing support, we continue to help refugees begin new, safe productive lives in the United States. Resettling a family is costly. It requires committing—for up to two years—to help pay monthly rent and expenses—food, clothing, and transportation—until they get on their feet.
You have made it possible for R4R to do all of this and more.
We fully expect 2024 to be another busy and challenging year for Rivertowns for Refugees. Among other challenges we are in the process of aiding a relative of the Ahmed family bring his wife and two children from Afghanistan and to join him in the US.
Please consider a year-end donation to Rivertowns for Refugees. Your entire tax-deductible donation goes toward supporting families who have fled violence and oppression. Please make whatever donation you can, so we can continue supporting not only the families to whom we are currently committed but also the ones to come.