CFOC Announces Otsego Refugee Resettlement Fund
SPRINGFIELD—Begun in October 2021 by volunteers, the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition was founded to bring refugees to Oneonta. With more than 100 representatives from area nonprofit organizations, businesses, and educational institutions, as well as local individuals and members of the faith community, the coalition successfully brought two refugees to Oneonta in the summer of 2023. The Coalition’s work was featured in “The Wall Street Journal”.
According to a press release, the coalition has now been asked by Welcome Corps, the entity that oversees refugee resettlement, to apply for five more people. This requires more fundraising by the coalition, which applied for and received $4,850.00 in the Community Foundation of Otsego County’s fall award cycle.
“Watching our first refugee family over the past months become part of the community, begin working, and join a local faith community has been amazing,” said Carli Ficano, professor of economics at Hartwick College and member of the ORRC Steering Committee. “Their optimism, adaptability and grit is truly inspiring. Equally inspiring are the ways in which our local community has gone above and beyond to welcome and support our newcomers. And now, I can’t wait to meet and get to know another family on their journey to U.S. citizenship.”
When asked if it could help further, CFOC proposed a fund by which those interested could give directly. The Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition Fund is now in place and accepting donations, as the coalition prepares to apply for more refugees.
“The Community Foundation has been thrilled to work with, and within, the ORRC and the results have been impressive,” said CFOC Executive Director Jeff Katz. “With the creation of the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition Fund, we can work more effectively to raise funds to bring more people to Otsego County.”
A coalition representative wrote, “We thank the Community Foundation for the role it has played in helping us get started. We literally couldn’t have done it without them.”
Those who wish to donate directly to the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition Fund can do by going to https://cfotsego.org/our-funds/ and clicking on the “Donate to the Otsego Refugee Resettlement Coalition Fund” button.
More information on the ORRC can be found at https://refugeotsego.org/.