Photo Credit: Brattleboro Reformer, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., met with refugee families at the Multicultural Community Center of Southern Vermont during a visit with the Ethiopian Community Development Council in Brattleboro on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023.
A local advocate says Brattleboro’s coordinated support for refugee families is strengthening the town’s workforce, economy and future.
Last weekend, I attended the Every Campus a Refuge conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with people from around the country involved in refugee resettlement. I expected to learn best practices, and I did. But I came home realizing something I hadn’t fully appreciated before: We are doing something pretty remarkble here in Brattleboro that other towns around the country aren’t.
I went to Tulsa to reconnect with many of the 84 immigrant students who came unexpectedly to our community last year. We had little time to respond to their needs, but Brattleboro did what it does remarkably well: Step up to the challenge. School for International Training (SIT) provided pre-college prep, businesses hired students and provided bicycles. Community members became sponsors who then became close friends. Volunteers helped with transportation and appointments. Across the border, our friends at Canada Goose even provided winter coats. Our brave little town has been stepping up to help new neighbors for several years.
