In November 2018 I was part of an organization welcoming a large family from Afghanistan. Though I wasn't at the airport pick-up, a friend described their entrance in matching handmade travel clothes as a bit like watching the Von Trapps in The Sound of Music.

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My husband still tells the story about joining our first supermarket trip and the kids riding the escalator in the mall a dozen times with him before any shopping began. Envision with no common language, trying to explain why on your birthday, YOU bring gifts to school for everyone else in your class!

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Think how much we support the emerging adults in our lives. Security deposits, donated apartment items, trips to Ikea, resumes, how to interview, explaining health insurance and savings plans. I look upon the settlement work as being that parent to others.

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At 17, my grandfather was greeted at Ellis Island by his extended family already living on Bath Avenue in Brooklyn. Establishing him allowed my parents, myself and my children to succeed. Everyone deserves support for a good start.

- Leslie