Saturday, April 15th could not have been a more beautiful day for a gathering. So it was no surprise that 35 people attended the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee’s (LRSJC) Library Event. The families came out to learn, offer support, and gain comaraderie within the community. Unlike other events previously put on by the LRSJC, this event was to both have fun and offer people the opportunity to learn about another amazing organization that was started by another Ladera resident and mom. Operation Refugee Child (ORC) was the brainchild of Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim. Struck by the current refugee crisis, Gader decided to help by not only getting herself involved, but by organizing and also getting her entire community and country involved. She started ORC to “aid those who have left everything behind, providing refugee families and children with backpacks and essential supplies to ease their journey to asylum.” The backpacks are filled with everything from toiletries, diapers, blankets, clothing, toys, and school supplies. Gader collects these items from people all over the country. They send them to her storage facility where volunteers gather to sort through the supplies and pack backpacks to be sent off to places like Jordan and Greece where refugees eagerly await them. As impressed as I was with all the items sent, nothing struck my heart like the personal hand-written notes by children offering words of encouragement to the refugee children and their families. They offer a glimpse into the beauty, innocence, and humanity of our kids as they try to offer comfort while they are themselves trying to understand the chaos of the situation and the world around them. It leaves you with a tinge of sadness yet so much hope knowing that these little human beings are so aware, insightful, and are actively involved at such a young age. As I am sure that their written words offer comfort to the refugee children and families, they offered me comfort as well in knowing that these little ones are the hands, hearts, and minds of the future. So with a goal to help families and children of Ladera Ranch and surrounding areas better understand the experiences of refugees and how we can as individuals and as a community offer support to them and organizations like ORC, The LRSJC organized a library event around the children’s book, Lost & Found Cat – The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey. This book is the story of the journey of a refugee family who had to flee their home and lost their beloved pet along the way. The book depicts the struggles of the family and Kunkush the cat as they endure the tough journey and eventually find their way back to each other. It is a wonderful story to introduce children to the experiences of refugee families because it is true, honest, and sweet. Loving and losing a beloved pet is an experience most of us can empathize or sympathize with. Therefore, the children in the library were able to find a human connection to the family through this common human experience. Together we traced Kunkush and the family’s journey and we discussed our own journeys that led us to Ladera Ranch. We discovered journeys that were short and near as well as those that started across the world and went through several countries. We shared, discussed, laughed, learned, and fascinated each other with our own stories that were as diverse as you can get. And through it all, we saw the beauty in all our differences and the commonality in our very human experiences. Then as if all that was not enough, we had the honor of having Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim grace us with her presence. She was generous enough to bring two sample backpacks already stuffed and ready to be sent off. We were able to show the children exactly what refugee children and their families were in need of. Having Gader tell us of her experience working with these families, added another dimension of reality for the children and adults alike. Not only was the story of Kunkush real but we had someone there who knows and helps families just like the family in the book. We sparked the interest and hearts of the families present and we gave them ways to support ORC in their task to aid refugee families. With that as the conclusion of the event, we left satisfied and hungry to do more, help more, learn more, grow more, and engage and commune with each other more. So we, the members of the LRSJC would like to thank all the families who came out to participate in the event, the Ladera Ranch Public Library for offering us the space to do so, and Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim and the ORC for allowing us a glimpse into the lives of refugee families and the amazing work they do to aid them. We can’t wait to get started on our next community event and continue the process of building bridges. To find out more about LRSJC visit http://lrsjcommittee.weebly.com To find out more about ORC visit http://www.operationrefugeechild.org
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February 2021
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