Longtime Tucsonans Dana Narter and her husband, Ed Baruch, were volunteers with the refugee resettlement program at Jewish Family & Children’s Services for several years.
She wrote about one of her first experiences with the program for the AJP in July 2022.
In 2023, JFCS asked if Narter and Baruch would serve as a companion family to the Zamanis, a family of six from Afghanistan. As empty-nesters, they readily agreed.
They have shared meals and celebrations, including Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, with Shamsedin “Shams” Zamani, his wife, and their four children. The couple has taken the family on outings, including the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Sabino Canyon, and the Tucson Festival of Books. They also helped them find a Head Start program for their youngest child, Narter says.
Baruch helped Zamani shop for a suitable used car and took him for practice drives so he could get his license, a somewhat harrowing experience, because Zamani had learned to drive in Afghanistan, where there are few traffic rules.
Zamani is an automobile enthusiast, Narter says, and recently began a small car dealership.
The support the couple has provided, Zamani says, “has truly made a positive impact” on his family’s journey.
When federal policy forced JFCS to discontinue resettlement (the agency continues to provide services for Afghan survivors impacted by combat), Narter and her husband began volunteering with Iskashitaa Refugee Network, a local nonprofit that assists refugees through sustainable food initiatives, community integration, and educational opportunities.
Recently, Narter learned that her volunteer worlds were overlapping: Zamani will be one of five people to tell their stories at “Belonging: Building a Better Tucson,” a storytelling event cosponsored by Iskashitaa and Odyssey Storytelling.
On Thursday, Aug. 14, the five refugees and asylum-seekers from around the world will share their personal, powerful stories of rebuilding, contribution, and hope. For tickets and more information, visit odysseystorytelling.com.
(Full disclosure: Phyllis Braun and her husband, Steven Braun, serve on the board of Odyssey Storytelling.)
