Volunteers you should know
Mary (center) with the Afghan Women's Wellness group.
Mary Toosi
Mary has been volunteering for RefugeeOne for nearly 2 years. She spends most of her time offering Farsi interpretation for refugees from Afghanistan and Iran and she helps out with donation drives.
Mary comes to volunteering for RefugeeOne from personal experience. She, her husband, and their 3 small children came to the U.S. to pursue higher education. While here, the Iranian revolution took place and her family could not safely return to Iran due to their political beliefs. They were granted political asylum in the U.S. She says, "Though we did not have many of the challenges that refugees face, I understand them. It is hard to raise a family of 5 as immigrants. The fact that [refugees] know I am in the same boat, makes it easier to connect."
Forming a connection is central to Mary's practice as a volunteer. "Forming a bond between me as translator and the refugees allows them to contact me with their questions, concerns, and expressions." She feels her greatest contribution is being able to take refugees' pain, and express it in another language. By interpreting refugees' pain or concerns to RefugeeOne staff, she makes it possible for counselors and case managers to help address their problems.
Mary has been volunteering for RefugeeOne for nearly 2 years. She spends most of her time offering Farsi interpretation for refugees from Afghanistan and Iran and she helps out with donation drives.
Mary comes to volunteering for RefugeeOne from personal experience. She, her husband, and their 3 small children came to the U.S. to pursue higher education. While here, the Iranian revolution took place and her family could not safely return to Iran due to their political beliefs. They were granted political asylum in the U.S. She says, "Though we did not have many of the challenges that refugees face, I understand them. It is hard to raise a family of 5 as immigrants. The fact that [refugees] know I am in the same boat, makes it easier to connect."
Forming a connection is central to Mary's practice as a volunteer. "Forming a bond between me as translator and the refugees allows them to contact me with their questions, concerns, and expressions." She feels her greatest contribution is being able to take refugees' pain, and express it in another language. By interpreting refugees' pain or concerns to RefugeeOne staff, she makes it possible for counselors and case managers to help address their problems.
Mary prepared the elements of a traditional Nowruz celebration (Persian New Year) to share with refugees from Afghanistan and Iran.
Despite her passion for volunteering, Mary has not always found volunteering to be easy. When she first started she said, "I used to get tears in my eyes and knot in my throat. I could see the pain." Yet, she hopes that by sharing her own experience of adjusting to life in the U.S., refugees can start to feel some hope for their future.
Mary obtained a Masters degree in the U.S. and worked in high level positions in the financial sphere for many years. Her husband has his PhD and her children all enjoy successful careers. Mary recently stopped working in order to spend more time with her first grandchild!
On working with refugees, Mary reminds us of the importance of empathy. "We have to truly understand them in order to be someone in their life they can think of and rely on." Remembering her own hardships, Mary says, "We must understand [refugees] and treat them as fragile. We must be very careful that their heart might be broken. We must treat them only with care."
Mary obtained a Masters degree in the U.S. and worked in high level positions in the financial sphere for many years. Her husband has his PhD and her children all enjoy successful careers. Mary recently stopped working in order to spend more time with her first grandchild!
On working with refugees, Mary reminds us of the importance of empathy. "We have to truly understand them in order to be someone in their life they can think of and rely on." Remembering her own hardships, Mary says, "We must understand [refugees] and treat them as fragile. We must be very careful that their heart might be broken. We must treat them only with care."