A Refugee Team of 15-20 people is required so responsibilities are shared and volunteers don’t get burned out. The team commits to taking care of all of the refugee family’s needs while transitioning the family to self-sufficiency.
Volunteers serve on the following committees (see the Our Team page for our roster):
Donations and purchases – soliciting and purchases goods and services for the family, e.g. car seats, coats; documenting donations and purchases
Education – connecting the family with the local public school and ensuring all forms are filled out, procedures followed, expectations understood, and support services provided, as well as helping the parents check on academic progress and registering any males ages 18-26 for Selective Service
Employment – assisting with Social Security card applications, assisting with resumes and job applications, helping the breadwinner/s find a job that meets the family’s financial needs, and teaching the breadwinner/s about job expectations
Finances – giving instruction on banking, balancing a checkbook, bills, budgeting, payroll deductions, renting vs. owning a home, and taxes; helping the family to open a bank account; ensuring the family has pocket money and documenting it; documenting cash donations; assisting with SSI applications if necessary
Hospitality – bringing balloons and signs to greet the arriving family at the airport, checking the family’s baggage to make sure it’s all there, ensuring the family has food, planning a welcoming party, and organizing other special ways to love the family (e.g. “extras” on holidays and birthdays)
Housing – lining up a church family to host the family upon its arrival; finding an apartment and securing furnishings, appliances, and initial food; explaining the terms of the apartment lease; orienting the family to living in the home, e.g. cooking, cleaning, appliances, utilities, hygiene, trash disposal, locks, child care and abuse
Medical – ensuring medical needs are met through health care providers and, possibly, church volunteers, including TB tests, vaccines, physical checkups, dental care, and eye care; instructing on hygiene, 911/emergencies, and laws on smoking and alcohol
Transportation – giving rides from the airport and to the grocery store, church, job interviews, appointments (e.g. doctor, dentist, eye doctor, Social Security, ID card or driver’s licensing, government and nonprofit assistance, school enrollment and meetings), etc. and orienting the family to the use of public transportation
Translation – a) finding 3-5 people who speak the family’s native language and are willing to help bridge communication barriers, and b) providing ESL or translation services
Also, the ministry coordinator oversees the committees, compiles committee chairs’ documentation of volunteer time, sends a complete cash and in-kind report to Catholic Charities, handles other paperwork, and informs the family about domestic violence, sexual harassment, and marriage laws.
[...] Committees [...]