When Laurie Gonkewon and her family stepped off the plane in Syracuse, it was clear they were not native to central New York.
“They had never seen snow, and they arrived in Syracuse with sandals on their feet,” recalled Anne Emperor, of Skaneateles.
Emperor and other members of St. Mary's Human Development Committee have spent the past few months assisting the Liberian family with acclimating to the region - in more ways than just weather.
They have helped Laurie, her four children (ages 8 to 19) and her niece locate what they're looking for in the grocery story, pay for part of their airfare to America and find the assistance they need in terms of education.
The focus now is on the latter, as the family, who lives in Syracuse, is in need of an after-school tutor for the two younger boys, Seraiah, 11, and Chris, 8, to help them with their homework. Emperor is also looking for a literacy tutor for the niece, Rita, 20.
“Her education was interrupted so much by war (in her homeland). She can't read or write,” Emperor said, noting, however, that she speaks very well.
Emperor said that she hasn't talked much with the family about all that went on in Africa - she hasn't wanted to pry. “I have my suspicions that they must have seen terrible things,” Emperor surmised.
Most of what she knows comes from what Laurie told her on the first day that they met. Liberia was in the middle of a civil war during the late 1990s, and Laurie and her family fled to neighboring Sierra Leone.
But war broke out in that country as well a few years later, and somehow, Laurie and the children that she is with in Syracuse got separated from her husband, daughter (Chris#, twin) and sister (Rita's mother).
Laurie and the children then lived in a refugee camp in Guinea for some time. The U.S. State Department, under a program of refugee resettlement aided by Catholic Charities, helped them to come to the United States.
Emperor and fellow committee member Karen Haggerty heard this story as they were sitting in a McDonald's the children all smiles as they feasted on hamburgers for the first time ever. Both thought the same thing, Emperor said: “There is no way that that man (Laurie's husband) is alive.”
But this past June, after three years of not knowing whether her family in Africa was alive or dead, Laurie received news that the three missing members were alive and living in a refugee camp in Guinea. Since that time, Laurie has filled out paperwork to see if the U.S. government will allow them to immigrate to America, but Emperor said, it's not as easy as she would have hoped.
In the meantime, Laurie is working eight-hour shifts, plus overtime of four hours per day, in a factory to provide for her family. She would one day like to get her GED and be a nurse's aide.
This is not the first time that St. Mary's has assisted a refugee family.
In 2001, Emperor helped four Sudanese boys settle into life in America. “When the Sudanese fellows got out on their own, I thought, ‘Gee, this is really kind of fun,'” Emperor said, noting that St. Mary's had donated blankets and Christmas presents to the young men.
So in 2005, Emperor and St. Mary's Human Development Committee began working with Catholic Charities. In addition to the Liberian family that it is now assisting, St. Mary's - as well as community members not affiliated with the church - has helped three Somali families in terms of paying for shoes and boots, collecting furniture and other household items and providing transportation.
It's always an interesting and fun experience, Emperor said, noting how she took one Somali family to Payless to be fitted for shoes.
“They'd never seen a store before, these kids who spent their whole life in a camp. They were so wide-eyed,” Emperor said. She recalled that one of the children started crying when someone went to put his shoes on, as he had never worn shoes before.
Unlike the Somalians that St. Mary's has assisted, the Liberians are already one step ahead in terms of adjusting to life in the states. Because English is the official language of Liberia, they don't have to worry much about language barriers, though Emperor said that it's difficult for them to understand accents and machines.
Emperor expressed her gratitude to members of the Skaneateles community for donating furniture, TVs, VCRs, clothing and even cars. Now, she hopes, people will step up to donate their time.
“They're so grateful and they're working so hard to do the right things,” Emperor said of Laurie and her family. “It's just a very pleasant task to help them.”
Help out
€ To volunteer as an after-school tutor for the young boys or as a literacy tutor for Rita, call 685-8741.
€ St. Mary's Giving Tree will again include the names of refugee children. Each tag/ornament has the name of a child and the gift they are requesting, and community members purchase these items to provide some Christmas cheer. In addition to the refugee children, youngsters associated with Unity Acres, Dorothy Day, Jericho Project and the Skaneateles Ecumenical Food Pantry are eligible to be part of the program.
Emperor and other members of St. Mary's Human Development Committee have spent the past few months assisting the Liberian family with acclimating to the region - in more ways than just weather.
They have helped Laurie, her four children (ages 8 to 19) and her niece locate what they're looking for in the grocery story, pay for part of their airfare to America and find the assistance they need in terms of education.
The focus now is on the latter, as the family, who lives in Syracuse, is in need of an after-school tutor for the two younger boys, Seraiah, 11, and Chris, 8, to help them with their homework. Emperor is also looking for a literacy tutor for the niece, Rita, 20.
“Her education was interrupted so much by war (in her homeland). She can't read or write,” Emperor said, noting, however, that she speaks very well.
Emperor said that she hasn't talked much with the family about all that went on in Africa - she hasn't wanted to pry. “I have my suspicions that they must have seen terrible things,” Emperor surmised.
Most of what she knows comes from what Laurie told her on the first day that they met. Liberia was in the middle of a civil war during the late 1990s, and Laurie and her family fled to neighboring Sierra Leone.
But war broke out in that country as well a few years later, and somehow, Laurie and the children that she is with in Syracuse got separated from her husband, daughter (Chris#, twin) and sister (Rita's mother).
Laurie and the children then lived in a refugee camp in Guinea for some time. The U.S. State Department, under a program of refugee resettlement aided by Catholic Charities, helped them to come to the United States.
Emperor and fellow committee member Karen Haggerty heard this story as they were sitting in a McDonald's the children all smiles as they feasted on hamburgers for the first time ever. Both thought the same thing, Emperor said: “There is no way that that man (Laurie's husband) is alive.”
But this past June, after three years of not knowing whether her family in Africa was alive or dead, Laurie received news that the three missing members were alive and living in a refugee camp in Guinea. Since that time, Laurie has filled out paperwork to see if the U.S. government will allow them to immigrate to America, but Emperor said, it's not as easy as she would have hoped.
In the meantime, Laurie is working eight-hour shifts, plus overtime of four hours per day, in a factory to provide for her family. She would one day like to get her GED and be a nurse's aide.
This is not the first time that St. Mary's has assisted a refugee family.
In 2001, Emperor helped four Sudanese boys settle into life in America. “When the Sudanese fellows got out on their own, I thought, ‘Gee, this is really kind of fun,'” Emperor said, noting that St. Mary's had donated blankets and Christmas presents to the young men.
So in 2005, Emperor and St. Mary's Human Development Committee began working with Catholic Charities. In addition to the Liberian family that it is now assisting, St. Mary's - as well as community members not affiliated with the church - has helped three Somali families in terms of paying for shoes and boots, collecting furniture and other household items and providing transportation.
It's always an interesting and fun experience, Emperor said, noting how she took one Somali family to Payless to be fitted for shoes.
“They'd never seen a store before, these kids who spent their whole life in a camp. They were so wide-eyed,” Emperor said. She recalled that one of the children started crying when someone went to put his shoes on, as he had never worn shoes before.
Unlike the Somalians that St. Mary's has assisted, the Liberians are already one step ahead in terms of adjusting to life in the states. Because English is the official language of Liberia, they don't have to worry much about language barriers, though Emperor said that it's difficult for them to understand accents and machines.
Emperor expressed her gratitude to members of the Skaneateles community for donating furniture, TVs, VCRs, clothing and even cars. Now, she hopes, people will step up to donate their time.
“They're so grateful and they're working so hard to do the right things,” Emperor said of Laurie and her family. “It's just a very pleasant task to help them.”
Help out
€ To volunteer as an after-school tutor for the young boys or as a literacy tutor for Rita, call 685-8741.
€ St. Mary's Giving Tree will again include the names of refugee children. Each tag/ornament has the name of a child and the gift they are requesting, and community members purchase these items to provide some Christmas cheer. In addition to the refugee children, youngsters associated with Unity Acres, Dorothy Day, Jericho Project and the Skaneateles Ecumenical Food Pantry are eligible to be part of the program.
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