The Sisters of St. Francis, in a desire to welcome refugee families, offer the use of Welcome House by a newcomer family for a period of up to one year and will provide information and support services to other newcomers and their sponsors. The arrangement will be one of mutual exchange where we learn from one another. Our desire is to encourage, as a friend would, not provide oversight. The Congregation may assist with food, transportation, furnishings, and health/emotional/educational support, but it will not be the sole provider of these services. We will work as a bridge to local resources to fulfill our ultimate goal of ensuring the refugees achieve independence through jobs and their own residence.
Summer Update on our Ukrainian Families
The summer has been a busy time for the children in our two Ukrainian families. Both the Siredzhuk and Novak family have a daughter who went to Irvine, California at the end of June to play in a national volleyball tournament. Along with another Ukrainian girl from the area, they represented Ukraine as they joined a team that won a silver medal in the 12-year-old division. Each girl was accompanied by her mother. They enjoyed a trip to the beach and a visit to Disneyland while there and came back with lots of pictures and good memories.
The Siredzhuk family has twin daughters who are ten. Along with the ten-year-old son of the Novak family, the three children are enjoying Cub Scout Day Camp this week at Camp Miakonda. The camp provides not only many fun activities for the children, but also gives them an opportunity to practice speaking and understanding English.
With all four parents working now, the Refugee Action Committee and some dedicated volunteers are providing other activities that will keep all six of the children’s bodies and minds active this summer. There are trips that include Imagination Station, the Toledo Museum of Art, a horse farm, and a swimming pool. It has been five months now that the families are here with us. Fortunately, after all the children experienced in Ukraine, they appear to be happy and adjusting well to all the changes in their lives. English is still a challenge, but their young minds are learning even more quickly than their parents.
Welcome House
Once the Sisters decided that a house they no longer needed as a residence for themselves should be used for refugees, they sprang into action. During 2022, the SOSF Refugee Action Committee hosted a family from Afghanistan who were evacuated from Kabul during the American withdrawal.
By the end of the year, they began planning for a new family in 2023. “We were prepared to host one family, but after the co-founder of Toledo Helps Ukraine made an impassioned plea for us to consider two families, we prayed over her request and decided hosting another family was important,” explained Sister Nancy Surma, Refugee Action Committee Chair.
The first family of six arrived in early February 2023 and is residing at Welcome House, the home formerly occupied by Sylvania Franciscans. The second family of four arrived a week later. “It is quite difficult for people to get started in the U.S. when they have no rental or credit history, and haven’t found a job yet,” says Sister Nancy. Fortunately, another long-time Toledoan was willing to take a chance on the second family and rented them a duplex.
Water for Ishmael, a local organization which offers English classes to new community members from foreign lands, has been very supportive as the Sisters work to give family members the foundational skills that can change their lives. Members from the Bavarian Sports Club of Toledo have also been very helpful in the preparation and welcoming efforts.
A great volunteer circle of people has lent a hand thus far, donating furniture and household objects and offering rides to the store, church, and to English classes. The goal of the Sisters is to ease the families’ adjustments to the United Sates, supporting them when everything is so new, and setting them on the road to independence. All refugees are so grateful for shelter and kindness outside of a war zone.
Anyone interested in financially supporting the Sisters in this Outreach Ministry are invited to contact Eileen Kerner, Director of Congregational Advancement, ekerner@sistersosf.org or 419-824-3625.
Donate online here.
Previous stands:
Sylvania Franciscans work for Refugees, Migrants and Immigration Reform by:
- Writing to Congress
- Supporting local boycotts
- Standing up for the migrants in our area
- Hosting refugee families
- Praying for our government leaders that they make wise decisions regarding the immigrant population to preserve the rights of immigrant workers and to ensure family unity
Sisters' Stories
Sister Joan Jurski
