Holly Yzquierdo

Jessie Grissom was excited to leave Georgia for a job in the West. He had been promised a job near the Grand Canyon, but when he arrived the job had been given to another.

Alone, Jessie hitched a ride to Flagstaff. He didn’t have a place to live or a support system. He knew he needed help and found Catholic Charities.

In July 2012, Brian and Kristin were married. They were excited to start their life together and planned to have children as soon as possible. When they didn’t get pregnant right away, Kristin decided to see a doctor. She learned it was unlikely she would be able to get pregnant.

Twenty years ago, Dr. Zlata’s husband came to the United States (U.S.) as a refugee from Bosnia. After a lot of work, Dr. Zlata's husband helped to bring the family together to be reunited. Tragedy struck, her husband had a heart attack and died the day before the family arrived. Dr. Zlata and her children were now alone, except for the support of staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities refugee resettlement program.

Graduation is an exciting time. It elicits mixed feelings of joy, anxiety and a little fear of the unknown. While these feelings are normal for any graduates, we are especially proud of these graduates from our unaccompanied minor program (UMP). Catholic Charities unaccompanied minor program places refugee children into foster homes and helps them acclimate to life in America. These students live in foster homes or an in independent living environment. All of these students have overcome incredible challenges and have a bright future. As these remarkable students graduate from high school, they reflect back on their time in school and the role of Catholic Charities.

“Clifford,” an Air Force veteran in his mid-70s, was living in Colorado when he found out that his niece in Flagstaff, Ariz. had cancer. She didn’t have much time left, so he moved to spend her last days with her, so she would not be alone.

Clifford transferred his social security benefit to Prescott, Ariz., so he could stay, but when his niece passed away, Clifford had nowhere to go. Clifford’s niece’s health deteriorated so quickly, that Clifford lost her in weeks, and with her gone, he also lost his place to live.