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Rochester nonprofit continues efforts to help hundreds of refugees with resettlement

Farzad Sharafi, a refugee from Afghanistan, who now is involved with Skateistan in Rochester, a nonprofit that works with Afghan children and other youths interested in getting involved in skateboarding.
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Farzad Sharafi
Farzad Sharafi, a refugee from Afghanistan, who now is involved with Skateistan in Rochester, a nonprofit that works with Afghan children and other youths interested in getting involved in skateboarding.

A local organization which helps resettle refugees says they’ve had a challenging time in recent months, but they are feeling positive about the community’s response.

Jim Morris is vice president of Prosperity Programs for Catholic Charities Family and Community Services.

He said that organization has helped resettle hundreds of refugees over the last year, and they expect to help hundreds more, particularly immigrants from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

“We’re confident that we’ll be able to meet the need ongoing as we see the Ukrainians come in larger numbers through the rest of the year and then other refugees including Afghans for the remainder of the year,” said Morris.

Among the Afghans who moved to Rochester with the help of Catholic Charities Family and Community Services is Farzad Sharafi, a 23-year-old man who moved to Rochester with his wife last fall. He still has a number of family members in Afghanistan, and said that it has been a big adjustment process for him over the last several months.

“I am missing…my family. It’s new life here, new language , everything is new for me,” Sharafi said.

Sharafi, like a number of other local refugees, got help settling in with items provided by Saint’s Place in Pittsford, which just had its major fundraising event in recent days.

“Saint’s Place support me with warm boots, warm shoes, and everything is good.”

Sharafi now works with Afghan children and other youths who are getting involved in skateboarding, in an organization called Skateistan (recently profiledin CITY Magazine)

Eventually, Sharafi hopes to be able to complete his college education with the goal of becoming a doctor one day.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.