Co-Sponsor Team

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If you are interested in assisting a new refugee / refugee family begin a new life here in America and have access to a group of friends, relatives, associates (between 3 - 5 individuals) please consider forming a Co-Sponsor Team.

Co-sponsor teams assist in both pre-arrival and post-arrival mentoring duties. Once team members have attended our 1 hour Orientation Training, we will assign a newly arriving refugee/refugee family to the team.

Pre-Arrival duties: Gather new or gently used household furniture and housewares that will be used to furnish the refugee's new apartment, such as: sofa, kitchen table/chairs, lamps, alarm clock, twin or double bed mattress and frame (mattresses must be new), dishes, silver and glass ware, pots/pans, blankets, linens, pillows, shower curtains, cleaning and personal hygiene products and food staples, etc. The more items donated the less our agency needs to purchase on the refugee's behalf.

Once the donated items have been collected, assist in getting the apartment ready, i.e.: making beds, stocking kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, items, etc.

If able, join our Caseworker at the airport to greet the new refugee arrivals and transport them to their new apartment.

Post-Arrival (Mentoring) Duties: Once the refugee/refugee family arrives, the co-sponsor team helps transport to the initial appointments and begins to mentor. Mentors take on the role of teacher, guide, advocate and hopefully friend. Mentors can choose their visiting schedule according to their availability: days, evenings and weekends. Some of the duties a Mentor can provide include: assisting them in learning or improving their English speaking skills, teach them about proper food storage, instruct how to utilize A/C or furnace, help them get a library card, learn about our money systems, take them to the grocery store or on an outing, etc.

We ask mentors to visit at least one or two times a week and for a commitment of between 3 - 6 months or longer if able.