Ithaca Welcomes Refugees is raising funds to help a refugee family seek justice for their father and husband, who was killed in a traffic accident last year.
In July 2023, we created a Crisis Fund to help people served by IWR in times of exceptional need. The decision to start this fund was made in response to the tragic passing of a man from Afghanistan, whom we had helped to resettle locally with his wife and four school-aged children just weeks earlier. The deceased, who was the sole income earner in his family, lost his life in a traffic accident in Ithaca. He had worked as a translator for the US military before fleeing Afghanistan with his family. As his family grieved, they also found themselves in an immediate crisis without an income or means to support themselves.
Thanks to the generosity of community members, we raised $72,470 for the Fund. As a result, we have been able to support the family over the past year with critical monthly expenses such as household bills, medical expenses and a travel loan repayment to the US government for the cost of the family’s flight to the US when they first arrived. The fund is enabling us to continue to support the family while they still need assistance. We are heartened to see how, despite such a challenging start to their new lives in the US, the children are rapidly learning English and have made friends through shared interests at school.
An update to the case now brings us to open a new public appeal for donations to the Crisis Fund. The authorities recently concluded their investigation, and found insufficient evidence to press charges against the driver of the vehicle that caused this tragedy. The family would like to pursue a civil case against the driver and are able to count on the support of a lawyer in the community who is representing them pro bono. However, an anticipated $5,000 is needed to pay for out-of-pocket costs to proceed with the case, including fees for subpoenas and depositions. We are asking community members to help us raise this sum to cover the family’s legal fees and pursue the compensation and closure that will help them move on. If you can help, please donate here or send a check to Ithaca Welcomes Refugees at 315 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y., 14850 and note ‘Crisis Fund’ in the memo.
In creating the Crisis Fund last year, we recognized that while this family’s predicament was exceptional, there are likely to be future occasions when unforeseeable events land community members already coping with adjusting to a new country in a situation of special need, beyond what can be covered by our existing programs.
Only three months after we launched the fund, we were saddened by news of a second tragedy in the IWR community. A man we had helped after he migrated alone to Ithaca from Iraq unexpectedly died of natural causes. To honor his memory and give closure to the family he left behind, we drew on the Crisis Fund to transport his remains to them in Iraq.
“You could make the case that every family and individual IWR works with is in crisis, otherwise they would not have had to leave their home behind,” said Casey Verderosa, IWR’s executive director. “Our Crisis Fund is a crucial support when additional tragedies or emergencies befall our new neighbors, allowing IWR to provide meaningful aid without delay.”
A year after its successful launch, we remain grateful to those who generously contributed to the Crisis Fund. As we all deal with uncertainties in our lives, we reflect on the importance of being able to be there for some of the most vulnerable in our community when the worst adversities do arise.