They arrived here from places like Afghanistan, Somalia and Burundi. Culturally different in terms of customs, language and oft times religion, they came seemingly without hope or promise of a better day.

Then one day, a young woman -a former teacher of the blind - came to Tucson with a vision of serving the needs of these travelers whose only commonality was that they were all refugees in a foreign land. Her name is Cherie Gray and she is very serious about the humanitarian services she provides.

It may be a surprise that at present, Arizona is host to over 2000 persons who claim such places as Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Russia, Burma and Cuba, among others, as their birth homelands.

Often subject to cultural shock and the challenges of assimilation, they feel very much alone, afraid and apprehensive. Cherie has made it her life work to find assistance, services and other forms of help for those with whom she has become a trusted friend.

Cherie works to link the various families she comes into contact with to groups of people from various faith communities. In doing so, the effort becomes collaboration and there is a unified effort centered on a refugee family as the community circle becomes comfortable with new friends and the refugees gain a sense of trust and belonging.

Help is recruited from local congregations, who are often unaware of the number of refuges in our midst. Cherie works with one family at a time with the goal of easing assimilation anxieties while establishing groups that are able to worship and relate in their own language.

As the number of refugees continues to grow, more volunteers are needed.

For more information, contact Cherie Gray at 360-9195, or send an email to refugees@catalinaassociation.org.

© 2008 Good News Tucson™

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