Most refugees only have a few minutes to pack up their most important items before they make the long, dangerous escape from their country. In Falls Church, this is something most residents could never imagine themselves doing. However, being thrown into a foreign country alone is an unfortunate reality for many refugees who are fleeing their home countries due to war, terrorism and violence.
Last year, senior Samantha Steger created Providing Aid to Immigrants and Refugees (PAIR) Club in order to encourage GM students to become aware of the immigration crisis. It is currently a major controversial issue in the US due to different beliefs on how to tackle the situation. Meetings are held every other Monday in Ms. Weston’s room in the TLC.
“I get there are always two sides, but I believe the worst thing to do is to treat refugees with hostility,” Steger said.
She recently moved to Falls Church last year, and being in the State Department allowed her to have a broader understanding of the world throughout her overseas moves.
“Having been the new kid so often myself i wanted to do something about the people that are new kids in a country,” Steger said.
Last year, PAIR Club had a baby item drive, sold candy grams, and had other fundraisers to raise money to buy furniture for refugees coming to America and donate to the International Rescue Committee, which was in charge of resettling refugee families.
This year, PAIR has had a cookiegram sale and is planning a bake sale after school on Wednesday before winter break to buy a gift card package through the International Rescue Committee for resettled refugee families so they can buy groceries, toiletries, household supplies, etc.
The PAIR Club also visited the Forced from Home Exhibit in DC on December 2, which was a refugee simulation that gave participants a chance to understand the struggles that many refugees encountered on their journey to freedom.
“[The experience] was awesome,” Steger said. “It was so emotional, and the second we walked in I started tearing up because it was so moving”.
The World Affairs Council partnered with Doctors Without Borders to host the forum which was open to both students and adults.
“It was a simulation where we pretended to be either a Syrian refugee or a refugee interviews,” PAIR Club vice president Megan Jenkins said. “It was a really interesting opportunity to cement our knowledge of the difficulties of the refugee crisis”.
Steger hopes the PAIR club will be able to hold more fundraisers and events throughout the year and have a presentation with a guest speaker at the Mustang Rodeo in February.
Steger will attend Duke University next fall where she will be studying human rights and ethics. Her passion for helping others is something Steger hopes to channel through a career related to immigration and the resettlement process. Despite her graduation, the PAIR Club will continue to thrive and increase their impact under the leadership of new members.
