By Pam Fessler
NPR
Clarkston, a small town outside of Atlanta, is sometimes called the “Ellis Island of the South.” Several thousand refugees live there, resettled by the U.S. government from Somalia, Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other hot spots of the world.
Shekhey and his small staff pick up where the resettlement agencies leave off, he says, helping refugees feel at home. “We are like soldiers. We go do whatever’s needed. No time sheets, no nothing. Just go.”
And Shekhey, 55, seems to go nonstop, taking phone calls about potential jobs for refugees, helping people with government forms or organizing a community dinner between refugees and local Jewish teens. There’s a steady stream of people seeking help at the center, a small office tucked in a strip mall with shops like Al Muhajaba Clothing Store and Halal Pizza and Cafe.
Read more:Engineer Turned Cabbie Helps New Refugees Find Their Way
Source: NPR
