Jennifer Squire
Safe Passages Volunteer
Jennifer Squire volunteers with CCA in various capacities. She provides administrative assistance for the Safe Passages program, works with Refugee Resettlement as a whole, is a parish sponsor of Afghan and Ukrainian families, and a parish sponsor for our Christmas Connections program. Jennifer serves Safe Passages, who serves unaccompanied minors, who travel primarily from Central America to the US without a parent or legal guardian and are placed in immigration removal proceedings. She assists clients living primarily in the metro-Atlanta area, but some are as far away as South Georgia and Alabama. She speaks Spanish and is able to communicate with clients and their families directly to check on their wellbeing and assess for any unmet needs. In addition, she also facilitates applications for the Central American Minors program, which provides qualified children who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, an opportunity to apply for refugee status and possible resettlement in the US. She has been impactful in researching and identifying new resources. Whenever Jennifer identifies a possible resource, she takes time to network with the provider, inform them of the work we do, and strives to build a lasting partnership. Jennifer established a partnership with inspiredu, which enables clients to receive free laptops that can be used to complete homework, take online classes, or study English. Jennifer established a partnership with Hearts You Hold and they funded items for clients, such as clothing, beds, musical instruments, bicycles, and much more. Jennifer also worked to expand CCA’ Christmas program through a partnership with her parish, this gave 74 additional people gifts. In addition to all of this, she brought in her parish as a sponsor and family friend for Afghan families who need extra assistance, outside of what CCA provides. She recruited nine volunteers to work with two families to provide additional social interaction and in-kind needs. She offers to speak with other parishes to get them similarly involved. Through her assistance with this alone, she helped two families obtain donated cars, access to mental health counseling and job resources, to name a few things.
Jennifer affects not only clients of the Safe Passages program and those within Refugee Resettlement as a whole, but also staff members. Jennifer helps alleviate staff workload by offering to make deliveries, phone calls and do research. She participates in weekly meetings with Safe Passages staff, and is always willing to offer a helping hand. Her efforts and willingness to take on any project with little guidance, makes her a truly valued member of our team.
Jennifer affects not only clients of the Safe Passages program and those within Refugee Resettlement as a whole, but also staff members. Jennifer helps alleviate staff workload by offering to make deliveries, phone calls and do research. She participates in weekly meetings with Safe Passages staff, and is always willing to offer a helping hand. Her efforts and willingness to take on any project with little guidance, makes her a truly valued member of our team.
Jennifer’s volunteer work goes beyond completion of daily tasks. She forges lasting partnerships, which help the Refugee Resettlement programs and Volunteer Resources division efforts grow and improve. Jennifer demonstrates commitment to this work as she has been volunteering with Safe Passages for over four years and continues to look for new ways to get involved with CCA and with the communities we serve. As such, she demonstrates competency, skill, and compassion for the clients we serve. She is thoughtful and culturally knowledgeable with our clients. Jennifer looks for gaps in services when helping our clients who live in poverty. She recognizes and understands the barriers our clients face, and thinks outside of the box in order to break down those barriers. Jennifer is exceptional. She offers her heart, energy and time with what we ask of her and well beyond what we do not. Her style is action and follow-through. Quite simply, she “takes care of it.” Client’s lives are forever positively impacted because of her proactive and ever-expanding efforts. She is an inspiration to staff and other volunteers.
