Successes and Lessons
We've just wrapped up our first full year as a nonprofit agency. To say this has been a year of lessons is an understatement. Here’s all that’s gone on in our tiny NFP:
We did the admin stuff we had to do to simply exist
Doing good in an official capacity entails a lot of detail work that is NOT sexy or fun but essential to functioning well:
We filed our articles of incorporation with the State of Indiana, which meant we also had to craft bylaws as well as set up an online account with the Indiana Department of Revenue.
We established a website, which also meant crafting initial content for it and figuring out how to get the DONATE button to work, which entailed creating a bunch of other stuff to support online credit card donations.
We applied for - and received - our 501(c)3 status.
We purchased the insurance required to protect the members of our Board (Directors and Officers insurance, which sadly we are guided to have in place “just in case” someone decides to sue us for something we cannot imagine being sued for in some future scenario that we also cannot imagine occurring).
We formed a Board and created our first strategic plan.
We created a budget and we formalized our community support parameters and process checklist.
We sought volunteers to join us in our efforts and we officially established a partnership with Exodus Refugee as the means by which we could be matched with an incoming family to serve.
We met our goals with our Sudanese family
We wrapped up our ongoing support with the Sudanese family of five we’d been serving even before we officially incorporated and hit some major goals with them:
Getting a commitment from the family’s landlord to keep rent stable and not implement a rate hike when their lease renewed in January. He agreed - and this has been a huge deal for the family, helping them remain stable.
Getting Zalola (mom) a driver’s license! This sounds easy to do…but it was not. It included 6 trips to the BMV to get to the point of having a learner’s permit in hand and some sweat-inducing early ventures in driving before turning all practice opps over to Zalola’s husband, Adam. Zalola is now driving herself to school (See #3), as well as starting a job search for part-time work.
#2 was key BECAUSE we also wanted to get Z enrolled in The Excel Center so she could work toward her high school diploma. Zalola attended orientation in late September and is now a full-fledged student.
Getting 4-year old Fares into HeadStart preschool, a process that took months. He’s now in Month 4 and doing well. We also got his oldest brother, Hasan, registered for 2nd grade, where he is thriving as well.
We welcomed a new family
In July, we met “our” new famliy at the Indy airport. This family of 11 fled Congo in 2010 and eventually found their way to a Burundi refugee camp, where they remained for 12 years. It took 2 years from the time they achieved “refugee” status before they actually could resettle in the United States because of the extensive background checking the Dept of Homeland Security does on anyone being considered for resettlement into the U.S.
In addition to mom and dad, there are 9 children who are part of the family. The age range of the children (all boys!) is 3 to 26 with the 26-year old having special needs. We’ve achieved a lot and agonized a lot as we’ve helped the family navigate U.S. systems and expectations. A few highlights:
Setting up the household and stocking the kitchen with cookware, dishes, and basic cooking and storage supplies.
Getting all the school-aged boys into schools (3 different schools because of the age ranges), where every one of them is excelling.
Getting dad to parent-teacher conferences for all the kids - no small feat when there are SO many kids and the parent-teacher conferences are occurring over 2 days’ time.
Getting dad an Indiana identifcation card.
Getting mom and dad set up with a checking and savings account in preparation for teaching them budgeting and helping them learn how to navigate bill-paying and money deposits.
Helping dad get a job!!!! This was a MAJOR achievement as even the most entry-level job now requires online application and communication of interviewing/hiring status via text and email - a tough ask when someone’s English is still at beginner status.
Taking the family on a few cultural outings: an American-style picnic, a massively fun trip to the Indianapolis zoo, and an outing to see Christmas lights at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds.
Getting the 18-year old enrolled at The Excel Center, a better fit for him given his age of arrival into the U.S.
Getting mom the medical appointments she needed to help manage her Type II diabetes - including a visit to an optometrist for evaluation of any diabetic changes to her eyes and a visit with a dietician who could explain carbs, blood glucose monitoring, and how to manage her diabetes.
Tutoring mom and dad in ESL as well as tutoring the elementary and middle-school boys after school in whatever subjects they need help with.
Teaching the family how to store food properly (no storage containers exist in a Burundi refugee camp) to avoid bugs and rodents.
Giving cooking lessons in how to roast a chicken using an oven, how to make a pizza, and sharing “American” foods like salad, peanut butter and crackers and blueberry muffins.
Getting every family member a winter coat, boots, hat and gloves. Coats for Kids was a huge help with the school children. Various volunteers donated coats and boots for the adults.
What’s next for 2025?
We will continue to serve our Congolese family as much remains to be done for the family to become fully self-sufficient. In the near-term:
Help mom acquire a part-time job now that dad is employed.
Help the oldest two boys acquire part-time jobs they can do around school.
Set up a technology plan that provides the family with phones for the two parents as well as the 16-year old and 18-year old - the ones who need to be employed and able to contact/be contacted by employers.
Get the oldest boys enrolled in the best high school for their educational goals (engineering for one, medicine for another, and undecided for the third).
Consider how we might help dad learn to drive and acquire a car given the limitations of the IndyGo bus system.
Keep working on ESL proficiency so the family can increasingly navigate social service systems, healthcare systems, the school system, and employment without support from our team.
Our biggest expenditures in 2025 will be rent assistance as we will need to help this family make the monthly rent payments until enough people in the family achieve employment to make the $1,600 rent affordable to them. While the family receives social assistance now in the form of SNAP and TANF, these benefits will decrease as more members of the family gain employment. With that said…a family of 11 requires extensive support. A $14/hour job held by one family member will not pay for very much in the way of rent or food.
So what are the lessons?
Refugee families are incredibly resilient and tend to have far more faith that things will end up okay than do those of us who have not encountered the extreme challenges these families have.
Mental health is a major issue for families arriving here. These people have survived TRAUMA that is all-caps in its intensity. Their ability to persist and endure in the face of this past trauma is incredible…but they still need support. Cultural outings and time connecting 1:1 with volunteers matters as it helps these families and individuals experience 1) fun and laughter, and 2) being seen and valued by their new neighbors.
Class bias is a real thing. Our volunteers - who all have relative affluence and stability in their lives - can be negative about circumstances that the family sees very differently. One example is housing. What we consider to be unacceptable or suboptimal (the unfortunate arrival of rats/mice in the home due to food storage lessons not yet learned being a big example), a family can find gratifying. When you’ve lived in a tent, the East side of Indy looks pretty good, even when you are sharing it with some cock roaches and rodents from time to time.
Want to help in 2025?
Our admin budget is small (website, insurance, a few office supplies). We fund those needs with our own dollars. Everything you give goes to the families we serve, enabling us to offer rent assistance, transportation assistance in the form of bus passes or Uber rides, or other bill payment assistance. Your help today gives a family the lift they need to succeed on their own tomorrow.