It’s hard to believe that M and her children have been our guests for six months! We are so grateful for the outpouring of support that they have received from the congregation and the community. Although COVID has made it difficult for many to get to know the family, please know that your support means the world to them. M now describes us as her family, and feels such a sense of safety and hope.
The Journey to Asylum program (JTA) has achieved a great deal since its start just a few months ago. At the beginning, our board moved nimbly to grant us use of Parker House. Then volunteers completely transformed the house in just a few weeks – making it an inviting home for this family of three. Then, more volunteers traveled halfway to Georgia to pick them up and bring them to their new home on July 3.
From day one, M has been looking to the future – desiring an education and wanting the opportunity to work and support her family. Those who have gotten to know her have seen this tenacity as well as her talkative and warm demeanor. We quickly learned that she loves to cook, loves to shop, and loves flowers!
Learning English has been a top priority. Both M and her son have English as a Second Language (ESL) tutors who work with them multiple times per week. M also attends an online English class with Literacy for Life. Her son has received in-person English instruction at the school when COVID-19 restrictions allow. M has also begun job training, taking online courses in food safety, learning about commercial kitchen use, and seeking out online child development courses.
They have received wonderful medical care through Olde Towne Medical Center and Catholic Charities, and are benefitting from CDR’s Early Head Start Program. The local school has been wonderful in providing services (as much as they can with COVID)- the ESL teacher even came to their house to help them learn to get online for classes. They’ve also benefited from a number of food programs ranging from WIC to House of Mercy and the Village food distributions. A local farmer even provided weekly veggie boxes during the growing season.
We were very fortunate to have the William and Mary Law School Immigration Clinic accept their asylum case. That process has been progressing, albeit slowly, but everything has gone as expected so far. This pro-bono legal representation is so critical to their future here in the US.
The JTA program has also enabled us to form new community partnerships. We are grateful for the monthly financial support provided by the UU Fellowship of the Peninsula, as well as donations collected by the Williamsburg Indivisible Group. Approximately 40% of program donations have come from outside the congregation.
We’ve gotten to celebrate all of their birthdays in their time with us and watched the baby achieve key milestones like saying 
her first words and taking her first steps. Though social outings have to be limited due to the pandemic, they did get the chance to walk through Colonial Williamsburg and take the Surry Ferry – days that M’s son claimed were “his best ever!”
Through the Journey to Asylum program, WUU is truly living its values. We are honoring and upholding the worth and dignity of all and have demonstrated, even during an incredibly difficult year for all of us, that we side with love.