  Charlsey Bickett is Executive Director of Mary's Place Refugee Outreach on Lexington Avenue. Charlsey lives in Irondequoit and has been with Mary's Place since 2016. She read an article about a refugee helped by Mary's place who is now a social worker there. The article outlined the very difficult process of seeking asylum, living as a refugee, and moving to a new place without knowing the language or culture. The average wait for a refugee to be settled in a safe environment is 16 years! The refugee clients of Mary's place are generally women, uneducated, not English speaking and had lived 10 - 20 years in a refugee camp where life was a major challenge each and every day. Water is precious as is food and clothing in refugee camps. Refugees come from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bosnia, Coite D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jordan, Liberia, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Once in Rochester, Mary's Place provides all types of services to help refugees get settled: provide food, clothing, teach English, find employment, gain citizenship, etc. Refugees need to repay any payments from the US government so it is important to help refugees find employment and adjust to the new culture here. A Holiday Party is coming up soon and all sorts of of donations will be accepted Dec 6-10: Toys, blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, mittens, etc. They are also always in need of hygiene products. Volunteers are needed to deliver food and hygiene items to over 180 refugee families in need - our very own Jim Cunningham is a volunteer. Any donations or ability to volunteer would be greatly appreciated. |
