By Graham Gordon

In January 2022, a group of independent volunteers in Farmville, Virginia reached out to the IRC. Self-organized, driven, and motivated in part by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the volunteers wished to sponsor a refugee family. Sponsorship means the group connects their partnered family with resources such as initial food, housing, ESL classes, and temporary transportation for a family. Also involving managing public benefits and employment forms, the process can be intense, to say the least. Even so, the Farmville group was not deterred from their desire to make a family’s dream of safety and prosperity a reality.

Coincidentally, the IRC’s Charlottesville office was seeking to expand their Co-Sponsorship program into a new, affordable area around the same time. A successful sponsorship was just what the office needed. It would lay the foundation for more involved co-sponsor programs in the future and give the organization a better idea of how to frame sponsorship endeavors going forward.

To make sure the community would be a good fit for the organization’s clients, IRC Charlottesville staffers Hannah Scully and Joe Meisburger visited Farmville on multiple occasions beginning in April. They found the area, while somewhat isolated, to be warm, receptive, and equipped with the resources needed for clients to have a successful resettlement such as a welcoming school district and an Islamic center. After experiencing this warm reception for themselves, Hannah and Joe then brought several clients to the community so they could make an informed decision on whether they wanted to move there. Clients agreed, and they decided to move forward with the co-sponsorship. IRC staff ensured the volunteers would adhere to IRC guidelines and provided them with the necessary training for being an effective sponsor. Afterward, the volunteer group was able to find potential places of employment and find adequate housing for the large family, including furnishing the home, to make their adjustment as smooth as possible. The family was finally able to arrive in June and has been in close contact with the volunteer group ever since.

However, that is not to say the process went off without a hitch. One primary issue facing the prospective family was transportation. Yet, demonstrative of the community’s willingness to accommodate their resettlement, the Farmville city council agreed to reroute a local bus line to reach their new home.

When one thinks of finding a home for refugees, Farmville may not be the first town that pops into their head. A small town in central Virginia, it seems an unlikely choice. However, the interconnected community proved to be exceptionally welcoming. Rerouting bus lines, gathering local funds, and galvanizing an independent volunteer group, Farmville is a model community for the IRC’s Co-Sponsorship Program. In fact, there was not only enough grassroots support for one co-sponsor group, but for three. As such, the IRC is working to resettle more clients there in the very near future.

If your faith or civic group is interested in co-sponsoring a family and you are within 100 miles of our offices in Charlottesville or Richmond, please contact [email protected] to learn more.