Students and Faculty Partner with Neighbors to Resettle Family of Afghan Refugees
Students worked with a local coalition to welcome a family of seven to the U.S.
In the middle of Mission Month at Manhattan College, one group of students and faculty are living the mission in a special way.
Earlier this week, a dozen Manhattan College students, faculty and staff took a van with members of the Northwest Bronx Coalition for Refugees to assist a family of seven moving to the United States from Afghanistan.
Students from Manhattan College’s Phi Mu chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon led a fundraising effort, raising more than $2,500 for the family’s rent and any necessary supplies to get them off to a good start in their new country.
“Delta Kappa Epsilon Phi Mu has a strong history of working with charities. When Professor Lois Harr approached us about the Northwest Bronx Coalition for Refugees and their mission to find homes for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban, I was immediately on board,” said Joseph Talenti ’24, a Delta Kappa Epsilon member who led the effort.
“I’m honored to know that the money we raised and the manpower we provided when furnishing the apartment changed a family's life,” Talenti continued. “It’s so important that we remind ourselves that these horrors that occur daily on the news are real; these are real families that are in need of help.”
The group met in the Kelly Commons parking lot and traveled to the nearby apartment to unpack furniture and ensure the apartment was suitable for a family that includes five children.
“Working with this interfaith coalition has been a faithful and faith filled experience,” said Harr. “It’s a group of people with laser focus to get the job done and help heal the world - one refugee family at a time. We’ll continue to work with them as they get settled into jobs, schools and life in the U.S.”