Rotary News (Sep 22, 2023)

Broomfield Resettlement Task Force

Heidi Henkle, Chairman

Broomfield Resettlement Task Force

It has been two years since the United States withdrew troops from Afghanistan, about 2,600 evacuees have settled in Colorado. Heidi Henkle shared the stories of Ahmad Siddiqi, Salma Rahin and several other families who have settled in Broomfield.

Heidi explained that the Broomfield Resettlement Task Force is a group of volunteers who are dedicated to helping Afghan refugees settle into their new homes in Broomfield. They provide a wide range of support services to ease the transition for these families. Some of the services they offer include:

Housing assistance to help refugees find suitable housing in the area.
They assist with providing computers and other necessary equipment for work.
Transportation: The task force helps refugees find cars and obtain insurance.
Toys for children: They provide toys and other items for children to help them feel more at home.
English language lessons to help refugees communicate effectively.
Job placement assistance:
Social services to help navigate various social services available to them.

Many of these refugees have sever medical needs so Broomfield Resettlement Task Force helps them find dentists and doctors for medical attention.

The Resettlement Task Force relies on funding from various organizations, including the Broomfield Humanitarian Fund that is designed to provide financial resources to individuals and families who have been displaced from their country of origin due to military conflict, natural disaster, persecution, or other qualified reasons.

The Broomfield Rotary Club has also contributed to the cause by providing random acts of kindness. For example, Rotary has funded horseback riding lessons on behalf of Nazar Tonkoshkur, a young Ukrainian refugee who was having trouble adapting to life in America.

You can find more information regarding the Broomfield Resettlement Task Force form these interviews Heidi Henkle has given with Colorado Public Radio and Boulder Daily Camera.

Broomfield 9/11 Memorial

Broomfield 9/11 Memorial

By Dotti Moyer

Although this is late, I still wanted to do a piece on 9/11,

The anniversary of 9/11 always brings a heavy heart for me. I take the time during 8;30 and 10;30 to be still. No cellphone, no email, no face book. All in an effort to feel the depth of this tragedy. I know each one of us remembers where we were and what we were doing on that morning.

For me, it brings back memories of being a child during Worl War 11.

At least once a month during the war, we had air raid drills. I helped my mother pull all the shades down, turning out the lights and going to the dirt cellar to sit by the coal furnace to stay warm. This was practice for if an enemy attack took place, they would only see darkness. There was no radar, and like other countries it was only the means of disguising our homes. My Mother was a frail little lady, because of childhood diseases, my baby brother and me, waited for the ok to go back upstairs. My Dad taught school all day and then went to his second job, teaching young men to read so they would be eligible for the draft. Our country was running low on eligible young men that could read, so my father taught them to read, and my mother was in charge.

9/11 run shivers through me as I remember the sound of bomber planes that left Samson Air Force base, flying over our house and up the St. Lawrence seaway. We lived in Rochester NY, and I believe all the industries, Kodak, Bausch Lomb, Bond Clothing to name a few had converted all of their plants to the war effort. The sound of the bombers stays with me to this day. When the slurry bombers leave Rocky Mountain Airport, I still have that fear I had as a child.

To share with some of you 'younger' members, we had German and Italian prisoners in the city. I recall smiling and waving to them as they swept our sidewalks. No fear of them attacking us. To prepare us 1st graders, the school had air radar drills and with dog tags around our necks we walked home and back to school to practice safety. Occasionally the milkman would give my mother a pound of butter, saying, 'Mrs Milella I have a pound of gold for you today'.

This is the history of my fear of war. On 9/11 I was in Denver, helping my son, when I saw the second tower go down. Pragmatically, I made plans to get my family and myself back to the ranch, near Kremling, and far from the city. Fortunately, we did not have to do this.

How easily I get sidetracked.

Following the 9/11, the North Metro Fire District was given a piece of steel from one of the fallen Twin Towers. Through community fundraising and city support, sculptor Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera helped build the 9/11 Memorial, that was dedicated on September 10, 2006.

John O'Hayre, who has been a part of our Rotary Club for many years, was the Fire Chief for North Metro Fire, and along with firemen and Rotary members helped in the construction of the memorial.

The memorial, located near the pond, between the library and city office buildings, features three bronze statues, one incorporating the piece of steel, and six bronze panels encased in stone. The statues represent the firefighters, police officers and civilians who helped one another through the tragedy. The bronze panels represent each of the three sites of the plane crashes and includes the names of those who died on September 11,2001.

Wars are fought differently now, leaving most of us blind to facts, but we have to keep our faith and do the best we can in loving our families and neighbors, no matter where or who they are.

Celebrate Life!
Dotti