How do you spell relief? For 111 refugees who moved to the Quad-Cities in 2007, relief came in many forms. First, it was a friendly smile at the airport. Next, a clean bed, fitted with donated sheets and blankets. For others, comfort flows from the absent things, such as rampant violence and overwhelming fear. “I think your smile and your laugh say it all,” says Tim Laffoon, church and volunteer coordinator at the World Relief affiliate office in Moline, Ill. Laffoon is talking about Ann Grove, affiliate director, whose open arms have greeted hundreds of refugees since the summer of 1999, when the non-profit organization had its start in Moline. In 2002 its cozy office at 3115 Avenue of the Cities opened. Grove says she likes to brag that many of the office supplies are recycled odds and ends. Staffers hung a funky metal rack of unknown origin on the wall, where it keeps various applications printed in at least 10 languages. “When you work with the poor, you don’t have extravagant things,” she says. “In fact, not having is a big motivator for many of our clients.” To motivate the staff of just three full-timers, three part-timers and one unpaid intern, posters shout hopeful messages from the walls: “The Mission of World Relief is to work with, for and from the Church to relieve human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ.” The mission is not easy, but the work is meaningful always, Grove says. “We do it because we believe it’s the right thing to do based on faith traditions and our own country’s beliefs. ... It’s the golden rule.” Last year, the non-profit assisted 111 new immigrants in addition to providing services for 80 people who have been in the U.S. a bit longer. The office is a veritable switchboard for a local slice of the global community. On a weekday afternoon, the place palpably hums with activity that launches into a controlled frenzy with phone call after phone call. Clients with questions about legal issues need help. One calls for a ride to the doctor. Who can get away from the office for a couple hours to help? A new Cuban family is to arrive soon, and their apartment still isn’t ready. Grove and match grant manager Ratko Rastovic, who immigrated from Bosnia, dig around in the back room for a bed, sheets and a kitchen table. “This isn’t as full as it used to be,” Grove says, surveying the half-organized, half-messy room. Donations are up, but so are client numbers. “This year (2007) has been more clients, more ethnicities. While that’s exciting and fun, the challenge is making sure we meet everybody’s needs.” Volunteers are needed to help organize donations because dealing with a messy store room can take staffers up to three times longer to prep an apartment. The organization can use donations for most household items; especially useful right now are sheets, beds, winter blankets, tables and bowls. “We seem to get enough mugs and plates,” Grove says. “Bowls are good for rice, soups and stews, which are common to many cultures.” Family specialist and reading guru Teresa Cecil likes donations of children’s books in good condition, too. Despite those who get World Relief’s help here and across the nation, refugees continue to wait for admission into this country and our communities. Children and families from Sudan, Darfur and Iraq likely will endure years in camps before they’re allowed to immigrate, Grove says. Many times it’s several years after an initial political conflict before displaced people get relief. Many come to the U.S. having experienced terrible things — the rape and/or murder of loved ones, torture. Though World Relief works through evangelical churches worldwide, not all of the people it helps are Christian. Some have been prosecuted for belief in Christ, but others are targeted for their ethnicity, their politics or for their real or perceived connections to others, Laffoon and Grove say. Despite their personal hardships, clients continually find ways to hearten Grove and her staff. In the last few years, three children born to clients were named Promise, Lucky and Patience. “It’s fun to see,” Grove says. “It expresses how much resilience people have. They can go through so much but still believe.” Call World Relief in Moline at (309) 764-2279 or visit www.wr.org. Where in the world The Moline affiliate office of World Relief has aided people from the following places: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Kosovo, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
