MUNCIE — As "Operation Allies Welcome" came to a close at Camp Atterbury in January, it was learned that more than 7,000 Afghan evacuees resettled in 45 states.
Indiana made it in the top ten of those destinations.
Officials noted around 700 evacuees from Camp Atterbury and beyond decided to call the Hoosier state home. In Muncie, more than 100 new neighbors joined the community.
“This is not a short-term thing. They will need help for a long time,” said Bibi Bahrami, the chairwoman for Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee.
MARRC helped the 33 families transition into their new lives in Delaware County.
PREVOUS | Muncie committee hopes to welcome Camp Atterbury Afghan evacuees
“Our goal was the sooner we make these families independent, the better,” Bahrami said.
The organization provides various services for these families from housing to healthcare to employment. It also worked with Muncie Community Schools to welcome 65 Afghan evacuee children into the classroom, including pre-K students to high school seniors.
“So every family that came in we would look at the students and try to determine the best setting for that student and then we made that program available,” Muncie Community Schools CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said.
Muncie schools said looking ahead, they are working to continue English services for these students throughout the summer.
Since starting last fall, MARRC has raised $300,000 to assist in providing services, according to Bahrami.
She told WRTV it needs more than $90,000 to continue helping families become self-sufficient. They are also looking for volunteers to assist in their services.
-
Judge pauses Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs at CFPB
A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can't go forward immediately with plans to mass fire employees.
Senate Bill aimed at various education matters gets support from Indy families
A Senate bill working its way through the statehouse right now could potentially give thousands of students better access to transportation.
Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Cece Winans bring Christmas Tour to Fishers
The Fishers Event Center announced on Friday that Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Cece Winans are making a stop in Fishers for their Christmas Together Tour.
Chinese manufacturers are enticing Americans to buy from them amid the trade war
Chinese manufacturers urge shoppers to "cut out the middleman"— meaning e-commerce sites like Temu and Amazon — and "buy direct" from their warehouses. But experts warn it's not that simple.
