Q: What does it take to fill three SUVs with winter clothes for newly arrived refugees?
A: Three seventh-grade boys.
Will and Nick Lavezzorio of Lake Forest and Patrick Eckland of Lake Bluff are seventh grade students at the School of St. Mary's. Recently, they organized a clothing drive that benefited the Refugee Resettlement Program at Catholic Charities in Chicago. Will and Nick's mom, Liz Lavezzorio, learned the regular sponsor of the program had backed out of the coat drive, which is managed by St. John Berchmans parish in Logan Square. It was mid-October, and the refugees needed coats ... and they needed them fast.
Will, Nick and Patrick decided this was something they could take on, even though it would not be considered a service project for their confirmation. They sent fliers via e-mail to numerous families in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, seeking cold-weather clothing. Then the boys took
printed fliers door-to-door to further generate interest in the project, and they followed up with the families two weeks later. Ms. Lavezzorio said the boys were strategic about their target market: "The boys thought about each of the families they contacted by what clothes they would have. Some had little children, some had girls, boys, young and old," she said. They collected new and gently used winter coats and clothing from 20 local families--enough stuff for three trips to the city in Ms. Lavezzorio's SUV.
Last week, the boys worked with confirmation students from St. John Berchmans religious education programs to sort the clothing and organize bags for designated refugee families. The boys are shown with the SJB students in the photo above. That's Nick in the center, flanked by Will in a grey jacket and Patrick to the right in blue fleece.
"We were thrilled when we saw how much came in," said Elizabeth O'Connell, director of faith formation and education at St. John Berchmans parish. "The Lake Forest group went above and beyond what was expected."
She said many refugees arrive in the U.S. with nothing but the clothing they are wearing. Many are from warm-weather climates such as Burundi and Burma and do not know how to layer clothing to keep warm or even how to put on a boot. Some have lived their entire lives in refugee camps, where flip-flops are the second most common footwear attire after bare feet. "Many are victims of torture and persecution and have come here for refuge," she said. "But once they get here, they have a lot to adapt to--they have to learn the language, get a job, pay bills." Not to underestimate the enormous challenge of adjusting to Chicago's often brutal winters.
Ms. Lavezzorio said the stories of refugee resettlement made an impression on Will, Nick and Patrick. The boys learned to help others, and they learned to work in a joint effort with students from different backgrounds at another parish. They hope to have planted a seed for future involvement with St. John Berchmans and Catholic Charities.
Catholic Charities is looking for people to help with its Refugee Resettlement Program. Many of the refugees' needs are simple, such as bus cards and holiday gifts. Some could use help subsidizing their rent until they get settled, which could be a nice sponsorship opportunity for a book club or other small group. To volunteer or learn more, please contact Marie Jochum, refugee resettlement worker at Catholic Charities in Chicago, at mjochum@catholiccharities.net or 312-655-7860. Or click over to the Refugee Resettlement page on Catholic Charities' website.
Comments