Program helps refugees

Intermountain Catholic

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Nancy Sliwinski works with a child as part of the Refugee Tutoring program. IC photo/Laura Vallejo

SALT LAKE CITY – Saint Ambrose parishioner Nancy Sliwinski is combining the Biblical command to ‘welcome the stranger’ with Bishop John C. Wester’s call to stewardship.

Putting her talents, time and treasure to work, Sliwinski is part of the Refugee Tutoring program, which is held every other Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the parish’s Vaughan Center, for the one-on-one reading or homework help. The program’s volunteers also conduct home visits twice or three times a week.

The refugees are families that came from Thailand seeking a better life.

"Catholic Community Services selects the refugee families that need help and assigns them to us. If they are not already in Utah we go to the airport to welcome them," said Sliwinski.

The parish’s refugee tutoring program has been in place for the past two years; they have helped about seven families.

Each family receives a six-month tutoring and home visiting period, "but sometimes we pull the kids out even when the period of the family has expired and continue to provide them the one-on-one tutoring," said Sliwinski.

Most of the refugee families arrive in the United States without knowing any English, she said. Despite that, the children are enrolled in school at their age level.

"To be able to help these families is very important because they come over here for a new life and we get to be a part of that new life with them," said Sliwinski. "Since the very beginning of it we are helping them get acquainted with America and the American system and the culture."

It’s important that Catholics welcome the stranger, said Sliwinski, adding that she believes people have moved away from the idea of churches serving people and instead have the government take care of it, but "the people in the community are the best caretakers."

Sliwinski got involved with this program looking to give back to the community and "these are people that are in most need, especially not knowing anything about the culture," she said. "If we can help them acclimate and start attending school and Mass, they will be part of the environment much faster."

The only thing that the volunteers need to invest is their time. "Nothing else," said Sliwinski.

One of the children being tutored said that he loves the program because without it school would be much harder.

Volunteers for the Refugee Tutoring program are being sought. To volunteer, contact Kristi Thompson at KLThompson12@gmail.com or Saint Ambrose Catholic Parish at 801-485-5610.