One of my greatest experiences while being at Virginia Tech happened one day when I joined a friend to volunteer for the Pilot Street Project in Roanoke. She rented a van and we took four young children to see “The Princess and the Frog.” So? You might wonder, “What was so special about that?” The answer is that the children were refugees from an African country and they had never been to a movie theater.
Besides plodding through school, adjusting to American life in Roanoke and the interaction with my friend who sees them every week, I think it is safe to say that they don’t get to see the bright side of a privileged life very often — even the simple privilege of going to the movies.
Roanoke has become home to more than 5,000 people in similar situations from Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar — to list a few countries (Court Reporter 2009). They are refugees trying to adjust to American life, cross the language barrier and learn to pick up the pieces from the circumstances they have come from. I was surprised to learn that Roanoke is one of the places that receive the most refugees from relocation programs, especially larger families, since the cost of living is relatively low. You would think there would be a network of resources for people to get on their feet.
However, the stark reality is that there are no such networks. Refugees who arrive in Roanoke do fall under the wing of Refugee and Immigration services, but are cut off from the system after only one year. This means that before being familiar with English and mundane tasks such as navigating a grocery store, the families are on their own with little knowledge of the cultural terrain. There are no other agendas that will help them and no government aid programs.
This is where the Pilot Street Project comes in. This program is a partnership between Refugee and Immigration Services, the Virginia Tech Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships and the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority. As listed on its Web site (http://www.vtserves.vt.edu/Pilot/main.aspx), it provides intergenerational English language and literacy programming and cultural transition support for refugee and immigrant families. For children, there are book-lending programs, homework help sessions and summer programs.
Unfortunately, the condition of the economy has made it harder and harder for the Pilot Street Project to function. Since it is sustained through donations and small grants and not through official funding, there was question last semester of whether it could stay in existence at all. Out of the more than 5,000 refugees in the New River Valley, Pilot Street only has the resources to help a maximum of 500. If equipped with adequate resources and locations, Pilot Street would be able to reach more people. But that is a big if; with the way things are now, Pilot Street is still struggling to provide its essential services. What can you do?
Anything is appreciated, and for complete information, refer to the Web site listed above. Simple things you can volunteer for are helping with some of the English as a Second Language classes, taking a family to the grocery store or the doctor’s office, helping a family fill out paperwork, or like I did, spending time with children who are desperate to get out of their homes for a little while. You can also donate money, household items, children’s books, or your time in simply telling other people about Pilot Street.
What is desperately needed now are winter clothes for adults and children, especially warm shoes. Some mothers only have flip-flops to wear in the snow as they struggle to provide for the rest of their families. But why should you care?
We take things for granted. Many of us have cars and we can drive to the grocery store to get what we need. We know how to call our doctor’s office to make an appointment. We know how a refrigerator works and most of us have the necessities to live. The Pilot Street Project seeks to help the people trying to support their families and rebuild their lives who do not have many of those skills. There are simply not enough volunteers to help them.
Help the members in our community within the New River Valley and find out how you can become involved with the Pilot Street Project.