March 17, 2025 • 16 mins
While the national conversation around immigrants and immigrant rights is center stage, First Friends of New Jersey and New York has been working locally for decades with a network of volunteers to provide dignity, support and practical assistance to immigrants impacted by the immigration enforcement system. Our guest is Katy Sastry, Executive Director of First Friends of New Jersey & New York For more, visit firstfriendsnjny.org.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to get connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly
conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on
one oh six point seven Light FM.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome and thanks for listening to get connected. While the
national conversation around immigrants and immigrant rights is center stage,
First Friends of New Jersey and New York has been
working locally for decades with a network of volunteers to
provide dignity support and practical assistance to immigrants impacted by
the immigration enforcement system. Our guest is Dorothy Wetzel, Board
(00:32):
president of First Friends of New Jersey and New York.
Thank you for being on the show.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Oh great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You can find out more about the group and all
the work they do at First Friends nj ny dot org.
To start with First Friends of New York and New Jersey,
maybe we'll just start with the basics, Dorothy, What does
the organization do well?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
We basically helped three buckets of people in three buckets
of activities. One is we support immigrants who are into
ten We help them when they get out of detention,
and then we accompany them to their court hearings, whether
they are virtual or in person, and whether the person
is in detention or outside of detention.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
So detention is kind of anibulous term. I think it
covers a lot of territory On any given day across
the country. I believe Ice can have upwards of fifty
thousand people in detention, some of whom are green card holders.
What does it mean to be detained and who can
be included in this group?
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Well, detentions pretty awful.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Anybody who they believe is an undocumented immigrant can end
up in detention, and it's pretty awful.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
You're treated like a criminal.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
A lot of people experience getting off the plane and
then just surrendering themselves to immigration and then being you know,
shackled and then march fraud marched in front of everybody
to be stuck in a van and then off to
a detention center. It's a humiliating experience getting in there,
(02:05):
and then once you're in there, it is it's basically torturous.
The food's terrible. In Elizabeth detention, you're in a big
room with lots of bunks. I think there's two toilets
with only kind of a you know, like a half
privacy thing for like forty people. But the thing that
I think people you know, don't realize it is unremitted
(02:27):
anxiety because you don't know when or if you're going
to get deported. Many people actually say detention is worse
than going to prison because in prison you have your time,
and then there tends to be more support for people
while they're in prison.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
In immigration detention, there's.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Nothing beyond the opportunity to work in a kitchen or
something like that for a dollar a day for you know,
like six or seven hours.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
The other thing about prison, perhaps is that people have
acted access to the legal system, and of course it's
dependent on money and this sort of thing. What kind
of access to people have to legal services in a
detention setting.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, the lucky ones have a lawyer, either one that
they pay for or one you know, given to them
through you know, a variety of legal support organizations. But
a lot of people don't have any legal representation and
have to rely on the ability to go to the
law library, you know, and think, if you're a native
(03:29):
Spanish seeker, that means you probably have to try to
buddy up to somebody who can speak English and then
fill out some of these complicated forms. And it's really
horrible because there's some statistic. You know, if you have
legal representation, you're like ninety percent more likely to get
your case to win your case. We're almost virtually no
(03:50):
chance to win your case if you have no legal representation.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Since you brought up the Elizabeth Detention Center, I think
a lot of people don't really realize how close to
home this issue is. Can you talk about the detention
centers in our area?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Sure, at one point we had the Elizabeth Detention Center
and then three county jails that served as detention centers.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Having detained immigrants is.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
A business that makes a lot of money, so a
lot of jails were doing it to make money.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Elizabeth Detention is owned by.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
A private company, so the only one open now is
Elizabeth Detention Center because through an executive order, the jails,
the county jails were closed to house detained immigrants. But unfortunately,
with the new administration, we're going to have a new
detention center opening up, I think with twelve hundred beds,
(04:45):
the old Delaney Hall, which is right across the street
from the Essex County Jail. So unfortunately we are going
to have a lot more detained immigrants in New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Our guest is Door the Wetzel. She's board president of
First Friends of New Jersey and New York. You can
find out more about them at first Friends NJNY dot org.
You're listening to get connected on one oh six point
seven Light FM. I'mina del Rio. Why is this topic
such an urgent issue for immigrants and immigrant communities now?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Well, it's an incredible urgent issue because President Trump has
made a commitment to deport x amount of immigrants, and
ICE has their goals and they are being very aggressive
now in reaching those goals. They're doing a variety of
workplace rates. We had one in Newark, We've had them
in other places, and I've heard stories about them circling
(05:42):
around schools. Right now, there's a job to be done
according to our current administration, and people on the ground
feel embolden to get it done anyway they can. And
I think what's important for people to realize that these
are people that you have no idea that they are
undocumented immigrants. For example, a lot of times, you know
(06:05):
it could be a restaurant owner or somebody owning a
corner store, or your hairstylist or your landscaper. You know,
none of us ask people are you undocumented. So you know,
they talk about they're only picking up criminals, but that's
not true because in the mindset of our current administration,
if you've come over the border illegally, you are a criminal.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
You did break the law in some in some way.
So they are.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Picking up people working everyday, working, people with families, some
who have children who are American citizens.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Well, let me get to some of that point. Some
people might hear about your work, and of course say,
these people, you know, if they came in illegally, why
should we be helping them. How did they end up
in this situation. Isn't this their own fault? Your response to.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
That, My response is really that a lot of people
are coming to avoid being killed. For example, a man
who was a politician in Nigeria spoke up against corruption.
They tried to kill him and he sought asylum.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
In the US.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Other people, there's a lot of gang violence. I remember
a woman in Peru telling me she had her own business.
They're extorting her for money, and one day she received
a bullet in an envelope saying this, the next one
is going to be more direct to you. So there's
a lot of people fearing for their lives that come here,
(07:30):
and that's one of the biggest reasons people come. And
of course people come because of climate change. You know,
they used to be farmers and now nothing's growing, nothing's
living on their land. So I wouldn't say it's their fault.
It's not like I have a nice life and I
want to move and make more.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Money to it.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
It's not like getting a new job.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's people are are desperate, and frankly, a lot of
the reasons they're desperate is historical, because the United States
got in to many of these countries and helped create
the conditions that are causing people to leave.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
I think people would also ask after that, perhaps the
question might be, well, why don't they just file the
papers like everybody else and get in line.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Well, it's very difficult to actually get into the United
States if you are seeking asylum, you actually physically have
to come to the border and present yourself and make
your case. And for other people, like people for economic
reasons or desperation, a lot of people there's literally no
(08:33):
other viable pathway for them to get in. So it's
asylum and that's a gamble, or there really isn't a
way to get in.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
And I think that's something people don't.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Realize that we haven't made it crystal clear a way
for anybody who wants to come in to at least try.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
There's not a formal process, there's not a line necessarily
for people to get into.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
That's a really good way to put it. There's no
line for people to get into and wait for their turn.
There's hanging out in your country and that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So the work you do is mounted by volunteers. What
kind of work are the volunteers doing in the detention
center itself?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Sure, well with detained immigrants, people do a variety of things.
So you can some places you can visit in person.
There's also video calls. There's you know, writing letters that
we have a pen Pal program. There's messaging, you know,
text messaging through again for profit systems, so it's very expensive.
(09:38):
And then that's the major way in terms of serving
people who are detained.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
And then you can.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Also help people and accompany them to their court dates,
so that means you go in person and you sit
there as a friend of the court. Or what I've
been able to do is for many of my detained friends,
I'm able to participate online.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
You know, you go online, anyone could go online.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
They ask, you know, the person being detained or in court,
you know, is this person okay?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Is Darthy okay?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And they say yes, And then you just listen because
you're not I'm not a lawyer and we're volunteers, can't
say anything, and you think, well, what is that. You know,
it's interesting for me, but what are they getting out
of it? But it really makes a difference to the
people who you know, are in their court to have
someone on their side to look over and see, I
(10:30):
have somebody, because we can't imagine how alone and how
vulnerable people feel. So just a friendly face helps a lot.
And then there's another school of thought. When we're in
there and we're watching that everyone treats them a little little.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Better when people are for the fortunate ones who make
their way out, who are released or get their paperwork
in order and are able to just you know, enter
as regular citizens into the country, how do you help
with that transition?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
So we helped with that transition by gearing them to
our partner organizations. One of the things that we're really
lucky in New Jersey is that we have a very
connected immigrants support community, so we send them to Catholic
charities or Church World Services and they helped them get
a home, they help them get jobs. You know, we
(11:24):
helped them with questions. So for example, someone came over
my house and they talked about they had one job
and they had put money into four to one k,
but then they changed the job, so.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
They lost that money.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And you know, my husband and I are like, no, no, no, no, no,
give a call and you transfer that over to fidelity,
and you know, he would have lost a lot of money.
And then he told other friends. So there are again
when you are alone and isolated in a strange country,
you have no resources, and we are friends and resources.
(11:58):
And then on practical level, well, you know someone gets
in trouble and they have in trouble making their rent
or you know, they need some groceries. You know, we
try to fill in as much as we can, and
that's why donations are a big deal.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And also one other thing.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
We also help raise money to pay bonds to get
people out because you're more likely not to be deported
if you're not in an ice facility. So that's that's
a big part of what we've been trying to do too.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I would imagine some of the people that you meet
are people that will stay friends with you or connected
or even become part of this network as time goes on. Right,
can you talk about maybe a success story or a
story of a friendship that has really stayed with you.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, I have.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I really expanded my friends circle.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
It's a great way to get new friends.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So I you know, if I'm in touch with somebody,
if I've stayed at my house or I've been visiting them,
I always try to stay in touch. And you know,
some people just want to get on with their life
and put the detention in the past. But a lot
of people, you know, stay in touch, and they fill
up my holiday table. I've helped people start businesses. It's
(13:19):
really wonderful. I have a very relatively small family, and
our holiday dinners used to be kind of stayed and boring.
But now, you know, my table is full of people
from around the world. And you know, I was sitting
there last Christmas and I looked around at my mother
in law's face and pure joy of learning from other
people and being with people that.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Are different from you. It's just wonderful.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
And I've gotten to participate, you know, on people's journeys.
There's a very wonderful person a dafe Akporo, and he
now is a US citizen and is running for city
council in New York City and he's written a book
published by Simon and Schuster. There's another young man that
put on a couple of fashion shows right.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Out, you know, within a year or two of being released.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
But then there's numerous people that you know, come and
have everyday live. So, you know, I can think of
a Nigerian, the Nigerian man I mentioned, you know, he
got his commercial driver's license and now he's working for
you know, public utility and driving on a bus. Another
guy that lived from Ethiopia went down to Dallas working
(14:30):
Uber and he's a single guy, but now he's married
and has.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Two beautiful children.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Another person got a you know, a CDL commercial driver's
license and he is getting married and he and his
wife are talking about starting a logistics business. So I've
had the pleasure of being on board with other people's journeys,
and it is so inspirational to see people who have
nothing make something of themselves. It makes me more ambitious myself.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Of course, This work again is fueled by the volunteers
who step up and participate. Anything you'd like to say
to anybody who would think, maybe I could volunteer, but
I don't have any skills, I don't know anything about
this world.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Well, the first thing is, you know, go to our website,
fill out the volunteer interest form and sign up, and
everybody can be a friend.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
You can be a friend, you can.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Write letters, you can do texts, you can help raise money,
you can write a you know, a social media post
for us. There are millions of things and simple things
that people can do. And I think, especially speaking for
myself and my friends, you know, during this time, the
news comes at us.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
All bad news comes at us right and left.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
You know, you start to feel helpless, and the benefits
are it really helps you take an action, because actions
are what make you feel more hopeful about the future
and the potential to work together to get the world
that we would like.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Our guest is Dorothy Wetzel, board president of First Friends
of New Jersey and New York. You can find out
more about their work, about volunteering and donating at First
Friends ENJNY dot org. Dorothy, thank you for being on
Get Connected.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Oh it was my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Anytime this has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio
on one oh six point seven light Fm. The views
and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the
views of the station. If you missed any part of
our show or want to share it, visit our website
for downloads and podcasts at one O six to seven
lightfm dot com. Thanks for listening.
Welcome to get connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly
conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on
one oh six point seven Light FM.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome and thanks for listening to get connected. While the
national conversation around immigrants and immigrant rights is center stage,
First Friends of New Jersey and New York has been
working locally for decades with a network of volunteers to
provide dignity support and practical assistance to immigrants impacted by
the immigration enforcement system. Our guest is Dorothy Wetzel, Board
(00:32):
president of First Friends of New Jersey and New York.
Thank you for being on the show.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Oh great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You can find out more about the group and all
the work they do at First Friends nj ny dot org.
To start with First Friends of New York and New Jersey,
maybe we'll just start with the basics, Dorothy, What does
the organization do well?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
We basically helped three buckets of people in three buckets
of activities. One is we support immigrants who are into
ten We help them when they get out of detention,
and then we accompany them to their court hearings, whether
they are virtual or in person, and whether the person
is in detention or outside of detention.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
So detention is kind of anibulous term. I think it
covers a lot of territory On any given day across
the country. I believe Ice can have upwards of fifty
thousand people in detention, some of whom are green card holders.
What does it mean to be detained and who can
be included in this group?
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Well, detentions pretty awful.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Anybody who they believe is an undocumented immigrant can end
up in detention, and it's pretty awful.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
You're treated like a criminal.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
A lot of people experience getting off the plane and
then just surrendering themselves to immigration and then being you know,
shackled and then march fraud marched in front of everybody
to be stuck in a van and then off to
a detention center. It's a humiliating experience getting in there,
(02:05):
and then once you're in there, it is it's basically torturous.
The food's terrible. In Elizabeth detention, you're in a big
room with lots of bunks. I think there's two toilets
with only kind of a you know, like a half
privacy thing for like forty people. But the thing that
I think people you know, don't realize it is unremitted
(02:27):
anxiety because you don't know when or if you're going
to get deported. Many people actually say detention is worse
than going to prison because in prison you have your time,
and then there tends to be more support for people
while they're in prison.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
In immigration detention, there's.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Nothing beyond the opportunity to work in a kitchen or
something like that for a dollar a day for you know,
like six or seven hours.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
The other thing about prison, perhaps is that people have
acted access to the legal system, and of course it's
dependent on money and this sort of thing. What kind
of access to people have to legal services in a
detention setting.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, the lucky ones have a lawyer, either one that
they pay for or one you know, given to them
through you know, a variety of legal support organizations. But
a lot of people don't have any legal representation and
have to rely on the ability to go to the
law library, you know, and think, if you're a native
(03:29):
Spanish seeker, that means you probably have to try to
buddy up to somebody who can speak English and then
fill out some of these complicated forms. And it's really
horrible because there's some statistic. You know, if you have
legal representation, you're like ninety percent more likely to get
your case to win your case. We're almost virtually no
(03:50):
chance to win your case if you have no legal representation.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Since you brought up the Elizabeth Detention Center, I think
a lot of people don't really realize how close to
home this issue is. Can you talk about the detention
centers in our area?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Sure, at one point we had the Elizabeth Detention Center
and then three county jails that served as detention centers.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Having detained immigrants is.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
A business that makes a lot of money, so a
lot of jails were doing it to make money.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Elizabeth Detention is owned by.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
A private company, so the only one open now is
Elizabeth Detention Center because through an executive order, the jails,
the county jails were closed to house detained immigrants. But unfortunately,
with the new administration, we're going to have a new
detention center opening up, I think with twelve hundred beds,
(04:45):
the old Delaney Hall, which is right across the street
from the Essex County Jail. So unfortunately we are going
to have a lot more detained immigrants in New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Our guest is Door the Wetzel. She's board president of
First Friends of New Jersey and New York. You can
find out more about them at first Friends NJNY dot org.
You're listening to get connected on one oh six point
seven Light FM. I'mina del Rio. Why is this topic
such an urgent issue for immigrants and immigrant communities now?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Well, it's an incredible urgent issue because President Trump has
made a commitment to deport x amount of immigrants, and
ICE has their goals and they are being very aggressive
now in reaching those goals. They're doing a variety of
workplace rates. We had one in Newark, We've had them
in other places, and I've heard stories about them circling
(05:42):
around schools. Right now, there's a job to be done
according to our current administration, and people on the ground
feel embolden to get it done anyway they can. And
I think what's important for people to realize that these
are people that you have no idea that they are
undocumented immigrants. For example, a lot of times, you know
(06:05):
it could be a restaurant owner or somebody owning a
corner store, or your hairstylist or your landscaper. You know,
none of us ask people are you undocumented. So you know,
they talk about they're only picking up criminals, but that's
not true because in the mindset of our current administration,
if you've come over the border illegally, you are a criminal.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
You did break the law in some in some way.
So they are.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Picking up people working everyday, working, people with families, some
who have children who are American citizens.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Well, let me get to some of that point. Some
people might hear about your work, and of course say,
these people, you know, if they came in illegally, why
should we be helping them. How did they end up
in this situation. Isn't this their own fault? Your response to.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
That, My response is really that a lot of people
are coming to avoid being killed. For example, a man
who was a politician in Nigeria spoke up against corruption.
They tried to kill him and he sought asylum.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
In the US.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Other people, there's a lot of gang violence. I remember
a woman in Peru telling me she had her own business.
They're extorting her for money, and one day she received
a bullet in an envelope saying this, the next one
is going to be more direct to you. So there's
a lot of people fearing for their lives that come here,
(07:30):
and that's one of the biggest reasons people come. And
of course people come because of climate change. You know,
they used to be farmers and now nothing's growing, nothing's
living on their land. So I wouldn't say it's their fault.
It's not like I have a nice life and I
want to move and make more.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Money to it.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
It's not like getting a new job.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It's people are are desperate, and frankly, a lot of
the reasons they're desperate is historical, because the United States
got in to many of these countries and helped create
the conditions that are causing people to leave.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
I think people would also ask after that, perhaps the
question might be, well, why don't they just file the
papers like everybody else and get in line.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Well, it's very difficult to actually get into the United
States if you are seeking asylum, you actually physically have
to come to the border and present yourself and make
your case. And for other people, like people for economic
reasons or desperation, a lot of people there's literally no
(08:33):
other viable pathway for them to get in. So it's
asylum and that's a gamble, or there really isn't a
way to get in.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
And I think that's something people don't.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Realize that we haven't made it crystal clear a way
for anybody who wants to come in to at least try.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
There's not a formal process, there's not a line necessarily
for people to get into.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
That's a really good way to put it. There's no
line for people to get into and wait for their turn.
There's hanging out in your country and that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So the work you do is mounted by volunteers. What
kind of work are the volunteers doing in the detention
center itself?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Sure, well with detained immigrants, people do a variety of things.
So you can some places you can visit in person.
There's also video calls. There's you know, writing letters that
we have a pen Pal program. There's messaging, you know,
text messaging through again for profit systems, so it's very expensive.
(09:38):
And then that's the major way in terms of serving
people who are detained.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
And then you can.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Also help people and accompany them to their court dates,
so that means you go in person and you sit
there as a friend of the court. Or what I've
been able to do is for many of my detained friends,
I'm able to participate online.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
You know, you go online, anyone could go online.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
They ask, you know, the person being detained or in court,
you know, is this person okay?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Is Darthy okay?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And they say yes, And then you just listen because
you're not I'm not a lawyer and we're volunteers, can't
say anything, and you think, well, what is that. You know,
it's interesting for me, but what are they getting out
of it? But it really makes a difference to the
people who you know, are in their court to have
someone on their side to look over and see, I
(10:30):
have somebody, because we can't imagine how alone and how
vulnerable people feel. So just a friendly face helps a lot.
And then there's another school of thought. When we're in
there and we're watching that everyone treats them a little little.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Better when people are for the fortunate ones who make
their way out, who are released or get their paperwork
in order and are able to just you know, enter
as regular citizens into the country, how do you help
with that transition?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
So we helped with that transition by gearing them to
our partner organizations. One of the things that we're really
lucky in New Jersey is that we have a very
connected immigrants support community, so we send them to Catholic
charities or Church World Services and they helped them get
a home, they help them get jobs. You know, we
(11:24):
helped them with questions. So for example, someone came over
my house and they talked about they had one job
and they had put money into four to one k,
but then they changed the job, so.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
They lost that money.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And you know, my husband and I are like, no, no, no, no, no,
give a call and you transfer that over to fidelity,
and you know, he would have lost a lot of money.
And then he told other friends. So there are again
when you are alone and isolated in a strange country,
you have no resources, and we are friends and resources.
(11:58):
And then on practical level, well, you know someone gets
in trouble and they have in trouble making their rent
or you know, they need some groceries. You know, we
try to fill in as much as we can, and
that's why donations are a big deal.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And also one other thing.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
We also help raise money to pay bonds to get
people out because you're more likely not to be deported
if you're not in an ice facility. So that's that's
a big part of what we've been trying to do too.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I would imagine some of the people that you meet
are people that will stay friends with you or connected
or even become part of this network as time goes on. Right,
can you talk about maybe a success story or a
story of a friendship that has really stayed with you.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, I have.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I really expanded my friends circle.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
It's a great way to get new friends.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
So I you know, if I'm in touch with somebody,
if I've stayed at my house or I've been visiting them,
I always try to stay in touch. And you know,
some people just want to get on with their life
and put the detention in the past. But a lot
of people, you know, stay in touch, and they fill
up my holiday table. I've helped people start businesses. It's
(13:19):
really wonderful. I have a very relatively small family, and
our holiday dinners used to be kind of stayed and boring.
But now, you know, my table is full of people
from around the world. And you know, I was sitting
there last Christmas and I looked around at my mother
in law's face and pure joy of learning from other
people and being with people that.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Are different from you. It's just wonderful.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
And I've gotten to participate, you know, on people's journeys.
There's a very wonderful person a dafe Akporo, and he
now is a US citizen and is running for city
council in New York City and he's written a book
published by Simon and Schuster. There's another young man that
put on a couple of fashion shows right.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Out, you know, within a year or two of being released.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
But then there's numerous people that you know, come and
have everyday live. So, you know, I can think of
a Nigerian, the Nigerian man I mentioned, you know, he
got his commercial driver's license and now he's working for
you know, public utility and driving on a bus. Another
guy that lived from Ethiopia went down to Dallas working
(14:30):
Uber and he's a single guy, but now he's married
and has.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Two beautiful children.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Another person got a you know, a CDL commercial driver's
license and he is getting married and he and his
wife are talking about starting a logistics business. So I've
had the pleasure of being on board with other people's journeys,
and it is so inspirational to see people who have
nothing make something of themselves. It makes me more ambitious myself.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Of course, This work again is fueled by the volunteers
who step up and participate. Anything you'd like to say
to anybody who would think, maybe I could volunteer, but
I don't have any skills, I don't know anything about
this world.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Well, the first thing is, you know, go to our website,
fill out the volunteer interest form and sign up, and
everybody can be a friend.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
You can be a friend, you can.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Write letters, you can do texts, you can help raise money,
you can write a you know, a social media post
for us. There are millions of things and simple things
that people can do. And I think, especially speaking for
myself and my friends, you know, during this time, the
news comes at us.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
All bad news comes at us right and left.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
You know, you start to feel helpless, and the benefits
are it really helps you take an action, because actions
are what make you feel more hopeful about the future
and the potential to work together to get the world
that we would like.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Our guest is Dorothy Wetzel, board president of First Friends
of New Jersey and New York. You can find out
more about their work, about volunteering and donating at First
Friends ENJNY dot org. Dorothy, thank you for being on
Get Connected.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Oh it was my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Anytime this has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio
on one oh six point seven light Fm. The views
and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the
views of the station. If you missed any part of
our show or want to share it, visit our website
for downloads and podcasts at one O six to seven
lightfm dot com. Thanks for listening.
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