Stand up for the vulnerable

When I became a mother, the world changed in an instant. It went from being a world full of strangers to a world full of brothers and sisters. Every parent I saw looked just like me. Whether they were at preschool or on the nightly news, if I saw a parent watching their child suffer, I suffered too.

Volunteering with World Relief, I host refugees in my home when they first arrive in Spokane. We offer these weary travelers a safe place, but inevitably receive more than we give. Nobody becomes poor by giving. Ask the families who arrive in the night, their possessions crammed into suitcases, yet spoiling my children with gifts and me with friendship.

The current administration thinks that refugees drain our economy and subtract from our greatness, but according to the Department of Health and Human Services, refugees brought $63 billion more in government revenues during the past decade than they cost. In truth, refugees contribute to our communities because of who they are, not despite it.

Everyone should be helping these brothers and sisters. Contact your representative, open your home, or just make a new friend. Your world will change in an instant.

Laura Cook-Crotty

Spokane