By Mary O’KEEFE

Teens who are members of the club Students Stand with Refugees at Crescenta Valley High School are asking for donations to help those who have recently arrived in Los Angeles as refugees. A refugee is defined as a noncitizen who generally is outside their home country and has experienced past persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

“Our club’s mission is to educate [others] about the international refugee crisis and to give aid to families,” said Lucy Rickey, the club’s president.

The club is creating welcome kits for families that are arriving, most from Afghanistan. They are asking for donations of infant and toddler clothes, sunscreen, small hand tool kits and school supplies including pencil bags.

“And small LEGO sets,” Rickey added.

She said many of the families have young children so giving them LEGOs provides them with something to play with and makes that “extra effort” to show they are welcome.

“The families [from Afghanistan] are escaping unimaginable circumstances,” Rickey said. “We can’t imagine what they are going through.”

California has a long history of welcoming those fleeing Afghanistan and is expected to take in more than 5,000 Afghan refugees. It has been reported that over the past 10 years the state received 32% of the total number of Afghan refugees.

LA County Board of Supervisor Hilda Solis stated she supported the work of community-based organizations like Baby2Baby and Miry’s List and their efforts to help settle the Afghan refugees.

“Los Angeles County continues to welcome immigrants and people seeking refuge, and we are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that newly-arrived families from Afghanistan receive resources to successfully resettle in our county,” stated Solis.

The items collected by the club will be donated through Miry’s List.

In a shared statement with Solis, Miry Whitehill, founder of Miry’s List, stated she “was encouraged by the outpouring of support toward families and programs at this critical time.”

According to the Miry’s List website, their 12-month program begins with meeting each refugee family in their home, which is typically a sparsely furnished or unfurnished apartment that was assigned by a resettlement agency. The team then works with the family to create a list of items needed and shares that list with community donors.

The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security estimated about 70,000 Afghans have arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome. Following the biggest airlift in U.S. history, DHS exercised its discretion to parole many Afghan nationals, on a case-by-case basis, into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons.  

Rickey said club members want to make those arriving from Afghanistan feel they are not alone and to welcome them to California.

For those who wish to donate, items can be dropped off during school hours at CVHS, 2900 Community Ave., to the attention of the club’s mentor Ms. McGuire.