Team Refugee 25's Sponsorship Journey: From Pride to Purpose with Refuge America
Refuge America brought together a group of volunteers called Team Refugee 25 to sponsor an LGBTQ refugee to the United States.
It began in June of 2023, with a gathering of New Yorkers during Pride hosted by Refuge America to discuss the new Welcome Corp program, an initiative by the U.S. government that allows well-meaning Americans and compassionate people of different stripes to come together to help a person living in a Refugee Camp by aiding their transition to the United States.
We formed a group of volunteers called Team Refugee 25 NYC to sponsor an LGBT+ refugee from a refugee camp in Africa. Their kindness changed the life of a young man whom we welcomed at JFK airport on the morning of April 4th, 2024.
This story exemplifies why we're sharing it—to encourage others to participate in sponsoring LGBTQI+ refugees with Refuge America.
I met Craig, the group leader, at one of our meetings at Riverside Church, and we've since become close friends. Craig, a board member of Refuge America, used to visit individuals detained in ICE centers and sought to continue his volunteer work post-pandemic. When he learned about the sponsorship opportunity, he eagerly volunteered.
He saw it as a chance to make a positive impact on a refugee fleeing violence and persecution. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he also viewed it as an opportunity to offer hope to someone else. I encouraged him to rally a group, and he promptly mobilized his friends, church members, and volunteer network to form a sponsorship team. Less than seven months later, we were at the airport, welcoming a newcomer to our community.
Sponsorship group requires lots of planning, and Craig has been supported by Frances, a longtime coordinator of volunteers as well. The group is made up of people with diverse experiences, a retired social worker, a licensed school counselor who has worked with immigrant families, a former refugee resettlement executive, volunteers who worked with refugee detainees and people with as little as an hour to contribute working hand in hand with staff at Refuge America to set up a fundraiser and prepare for the arrival of an LGBTQI+ refugee in search of a better life here in the United States.
When asked why it is important to sponsor refugees, one of the volunteers said: “To be a good Christian (if you are a Christian) to welcome the stranger and as a citizen of the US, to be open and welcoming to immigrants.”
Edafe Okporo, Executive Director and Founder of Refuge America, reflected on his own experience. "I remember coming to New York with no support as an asylum seeker," he shared. "It feels uniquely different and like a blessing to have people who will wait for your arrival to the United States, as these volunteers have done, to say, 'Welcome to America.' Not with handcuffs and ICE officers breathing down your neck like I faced, but with normal people who have worked tirelessly to bring someone to a new country."
This is the goal of community sponsorship, to fulfill the ideals of America as a country of welcome.
For those considering becoming sponsors but are unsure: One of the volunteers said, "It will expand your world and expose you to different experiences."
