By Service to the Armed Forces and International Services Manager, Kerry Khan
Earlier this year, volunteers from International Services and Youth and Young Adult Services collaborated at the Los Angeles Regional Headquarters to support refugees. In all, 21 high schools and ten Youth Corps from the Los Angeles Region’s Red Cross Clubs participated in the Refugee Wish List Drive. The items collected through the drive included pots and pans, hand and bath towels, utensils, blankets, pillows, dishes, and other household items. With these donations, we were able to assemble more than 20 “Welcome Baskets” for our volunteers to hand deliverer to refugees from around the world who have recently arrived in the Los Angeles area. Our hope was that these baskets could provide a sense of comfort as well as me
et the practical needs of refugees who had fled their home countries and took little or nothing with them.
On May 17, 2017, Americorps member Tamara Alcantara and International Services volunteer Cris Tsai had the opportunity to hand deliver a “Welcome Basket” to Shahih Khanizadeh, a recently arrived refugee from Iran who fled her home country to live with her daughter Raika, in Burbank. Shaih, who only arrived in the United States on April 27, 2017, was more than grateful for the items that arrived in her “Welcome Basket” and she mentioned to our volunteers how every item will come in very handy— especially the kitchen items, since neither her or her daughter had any of their own. Shaih has no family left in Iran and learned about the services offered by the American Red Cross at a cultural orientation hosted by the International Rescue Committee, where she attended a presentation about Red Cross International Services Restoring Family Links program.
The “Welcome Baskets” put together at the Refugee Wish List Drive will also provide an opportunity to share disaster preparedness and recovery information to refugees throughout the Los Angeles area.
The International Services Team could not be more grateful and appreciative of the youth who contributed their time and efforts to the Refugee Wish List Drive. Shahih’s story is only one example and the efforts of our youth and volunteers are sure to have a direct impact on the lives of many of the newest members in the Los Angeles community. For this we have only one thing to say: THANK YOU!
Click here to learn more about American Red Cross International Services.
