FM builds energy behind refugee effort

FORT MADISON – Fort Madison Mayor Matt Mohrfeld likes to throw targets on the wall.

He calls them goals and he unveiled another one Thursday afternoon at the YMCA Test Kitchen STEM Lounge, as he told a room full of interested parties that he’d like to bring 100 Ukrainian refugees to Fort Madison.

Mohrfeld brought representatives from World Relief of the Quad Cities, along with Burlington Ukrainian refugee sponsor Bob Bartles, and Katya Deyashkin, a Ukrainian refugee living in Burlington.

Deyashkin is a nurse from the Ukraine who left the Russian-ravaged country for the United States and said the safety of her family was her main concern.

She said she doesn’t know if her family will return when the Russian aggression in her home country subsides.

“I don’t know,” she said in broken English. “I have a child and family and that is my main concern. Tomorrow? I don’t know.”

Bartles was on hand to help the group, which included economic development, education, housing, medical, business and industry, and clergy representatives, understand the sponsorship opportunities.

He said sponsoring refugees is a cumbersome process, but the refugees he’s come across have been hard working, proud, and honorable people.

Bartles shared a story about one of the seven families that he knows that are currently looking for sponsors. They were running short of cash and he offered to help. One of the family members had accepted a job at Shearer's in Burlington.

“They wouldn’t accept a gift, so I said ‘Let me loan you the money'. So, I loaned them the money and they bought shoes for their boy and groceries,” Bartles said.

“But before they even had a job, they paid me back the 500 bucks.”

Bartles said the government wants to see a couple thousand dollars in a bank account and a tax return that shows you made money the previous year to approve a sponsorship. Then other entities can back up the financial effort.

“It’s okay to not have a bunch of money and it may not require a bunch of money,” he said.

Of the seven families that need sponsors, one will need some help, but the rest are bringing some finances with them from Ukraine.

The family also was part of an English as a Second Language course at SCC.

Dr. Michael Ash, president of SCC, was on hand as well, and said the college is excited to be part of the refugee transitions.

Rev. Leslie Dahl and her husband Dan had an informational refugee meeting on Sunday at their church in Fort Madison. Mohrfeld, who spoke at that meeting, said there were about a dozen people there who were interested in sponsorships.

Mohrfeld said he and his wife Beth are looking to be sponsors for some of the refugees.

Mohrfeld said this is part of his growth pillar for local growth. He has outlined four pillars including housing, jobs, and safety that he is leveraging to see the local population growth come to reality. He has set a target of 1,000 new residents in the next four years.

Bartles said the sponsorship is a two-year commitment but said there isn’t accountability or financial commitment in walking away, but said then the families become eligible for support and resources.

“These folks are good people even they don’t have an obligation to back up the families,” Bartles said of the World Relief group.

Mohrfeld said when the families go to work, they are on employee benefits packages and pay taxes.

Those interested in sponsoring refugees can reach out to the World Relief group in Moline, Illinois at 309-764-2279. More information can be found at https://worldrelief.org/quad-cities/.