Sudanese refugee is both a donor and recipient at the Christmas Bureau
Fawzia Nour, a refugee from Sudan, knows about the Christmas Bureau as a recipient, but now she’s also a donor.
An English as a Second Langue (ESL) student, Nour was one of a group of Spokane adult education students who raised $165.78 for the charity this week, each contributing what they could afford. The students who ran the collection are enrolled in ESL and GED classes through Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning.
About 90 percent of the students live below the poverty line, said student government adviser Pamm Haslebacher. The school’s student council led the fundraiser, setting out collection boxes in classrooms for bureau donations.
“It’s not too much, but it’s helping,” Nour said about her donation. “I have to do something.”
A Muslim, Nour said when she lived in the capital city of Khartoum, Sudan, many Muslims and Christians helped each other as neighbors and as friends.
“We made friends together,” said Nour, 40, while explaining that on Christmas Eve and Dec. 25, she went with her Christian friends to church in Khartoum. “Because there are many Catholics, we go at night to church and on Dec. 25.”
“It was not just about going to church. If someone was sick or had a problem, we’d go together to pray. We were helping together.”
Nour has lived in Spokane with her husband and children since June 2013, arriving through World Relief. The family spent the 13 years before that in Egypt after fleeing war-torn Sudan, but they received little support in that country, she said.
A friend from Egypt who came to Spokane told her the city is safe, with nice people. Nour’s family settled into a home here, and she plans to train as a nursing assistant. During the 2013 Christmas Bureau, Nour found gifts for her children. “It was very, very nice,” she said.
Growing up, Nour couldn’t count on safety or nice gifts in her Sudanese village, where her father was shot and killed. At age 21, she also was shot in the stomach. A crude surgery followed, and Nour recovered, but she still feels pain today. Her grandparents also perished in the village when their home was intentionally set on fire.
“I left Sudan because in our country, we have war, and our security is not safe,” Nour said.
Funded by donations from the community, the Christmas Bureau distributes books, toys and food vouchers to about 9,000 needy families. The charity is a 70-year-old Spokane tradition and still needs to raise more than $372,500 toward this year’s fundraising goal of $525,000.
Organized by Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America and The Spokesman-Review, the bureau is open daily except for Sunday between Saturday and Dec. 19.
Haslebacher delivered the IEL students’ collection to The Spokesman-Review, with much of the money in coins. “It was double the amount we had contributed last year,” she said.
Nour said she’ll go to the Bureau again this year at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center as a recipient to find family gifts.
“I didn’t go last year, but I am going,” she said. “I still contributed (to student fundraiser). It’s important to help people, to give a hand.”
About 96 percent of the money raised for the bureau pays for the vouchers, books and toys, because the bureau is staffed by more than 400 volunteers. Last year, a total of 30,208 individuals were served.
Recent donations
Bruce and Kathy Bixler gave $250 cash.
Roofers Local No. 189, of Spokane, gave $250 on behalf of member Fred Preston.
Margaret Miller gave $237 cash, writing, “In memory of my parents, Don and Rita Quist.”
Gregg Woods gave $150 cash.
Doug Lindvall, of Spokane, donated $100 via PayPal.
Scott Opperud, of Spokane, donated $100 via PayPal.
Connie Vetter gave $50 cash.
R.L. Peterson gave $50 cash. “Heartfelt thanks to attorney Joe Delay for believing in us and our deceased father Garth B. Peterson.”
Steve Reed, of Spokane, gave $40 via PayPal.
Deanna Anderson, of Spokane, gave $15 via PayPal.
Note: For donations made through PayPal, The Spokesman-Review contributed the PayPal processing fee.