CATH I SO LOVE SHELETTA.

TODAY MARKS THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE WELCOME CORPS, THAT'S A PRIVATE REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

MINNESOTA BASED NON-PROFIT ALIGHT SERVES AS A PARTNER PROVIDING SUPPORT TO SPONSORS LOOKING TO AID REFUGEES.

WITH US NOW IS ALIGHT'S U.S. ENTERPRISE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NASRA ISMAIL AND SPONSOR MOHAMED DAWID.

IT'S A REAL PLEASURE TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU HERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NASRA, LET'S SEE IF I UNDERSTAND THIS.

THIS PROGRAM IS HAD TO HELP THE SPONSORS OF INDIVIDUALS COMING TO THIS COUNTRY, REFUGEES COMING TO THIS COUNTRY.

WHAT KIND OF HELP DO SPONSORS NEED?

>> ABSOLUTELY, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR US TO CELEBRATE THIS PROGRAM AND ITS INTENT.

IT'S REALLY ABOUT PARTNERING EVERYDAY AMERICANS WITH FOLKS WHO ARE COMING INTO AMERICA THROUGH LEGAL AND SAFE PATHWAYS.

SPONSORS NEED A LOT OF HELP.

THIS WORK USED TO BE DONE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

THIS WORK USED TO BE DONE BY RESETTLEMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND STATE LEVEL GOVERNMENT.

BUT WE'VE FOUND THERE'S AN INNOVATIVE WAY.

WE WANT TO ASK EVERYDAY CITIZENS TO HELP, HELP PICK SOMEONE UP AT THE AIRPORT WHICH CAN BE VERY DAUNTING FOR SOMEONE WHO HASN'T COME TO AMERICA.

HELP THEM FIND ACCESS TO SCHOOLS, BE A NEIGHBOR, HELP SOMEONE FIND A WAY TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.

EVERY DAY THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED BECAUSE WE CAN DO IT FOR OURSELVES.

BUT FOR DISPLACED COMMUNITIES THIS IS A WHOLE NEW ARENA.

SO SPONSORS ARE REALLY A NEW LINE OF HOPE AND IT'S ONE THAT'S NOT JUST AVAILABLE FOR GOVERNMENT, IT'S AVAILABLE FOR EVERYDAY CITIZENS.

SO MOHAMED IS ONE OF OUR KEY ONES.

>> MOHAMED, YOU'RE A SPONSOR BUT YOU ALSO CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, EXPLAIN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR SPONSOR WHEN YOU FIRTH ARRIVED.

>> WELL, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ETHIOPIA AND THERE WAS A WAR AND WE HAD TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.

THE SITUATION WE PASSED THROUGH WAS HORRIBLE ND THAT I DON'T WISH TO HAPPEN TO ANY HUMAN BEINGS.

SO BASED ON THAT WE'RE KIND OF JOINING THIS GROUP O HELP OTHERS.

>> Eric: ND YOU'RE NOW A SPONSOR YOURSELF.

IS THAT CORRECT?

>> YES.

>> Eric: HOW DOES THAT WORK OUT?

WHAT DO YOU PROVIDE FOR FOLKS WHO COME TO YOU?

IS >> WHAT WE PROVIDE, ONCE WE FILL OUT THIS FORM, APPLICATION, ALL THAT, THEY GET HERE TO THE UNITED TATES AND WE FIND THEM A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN LIVE AND WE FIND THEM A JOB AND WE TRAIN THEM AROUND HOW TO USE A BUS OR CITY BUSES, TRAIN, AND I SHOW THEM THE WAY, THE AMERICAN STIM WORKS THAT WE LEARNED THE HARD WAY, SO WE HAVE TO TEACH THEM NOW IN A WAY THEY UNDERSTAND TO MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM.

>> Cathy: DO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE HAD ALL OF THAT HELP WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVED?

>> DEFINITELY.

THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL IF WE HAD THAT, BUT WE LEARNED THE HARD WAY, LIKE I SAID.

SO IT WASN'T EASY, BUT WE GOT IT.

>> Eric: THE GOAL IS 90 DAYS TO SUFFICIENCY, SELF-SUFFICIENCY?

SEEMS OPTIMISTIC OR CHALLENGING TO MEET, OR NOT?

>> IT'S A GOAL.

NO, ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S A GOAL AND WE FIND THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT SPONSORS WHO WILL MEET THAT GOAL AND OTHERS WHO MIGHT NEED MORE TIME.

BUT ULTIMATELY THIS IS REALLY A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO RAISE THEIR HANDS LIKE MOHAMED AND BETWEEN, AND THE PERSON WHO'S COMING IN.

>> Eric: IS THERE THAT MUCH GOOD WILL OUT THERE?

THIS IS A ESKER CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT OF IMMIGRATION IS CONTROVERSIAL.

>> IT ABSOLUTELY IS.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY BEAUTIFUL ABOUT AMERICAN SOCIETY AND WHAT'S IN THE VERY FABRIC OF AMERICAN LIFE WHICH IS TO BE OF HELP TO SOMEONE ELSE.

THAT CAN'T BE POLITICAL, BUT WE COME AS ALIGHT HELP TO AID, MAKE SURE THAT PARTNERSHIP IS SAFE, MAKE SURE PARTNERSHIP IS AS HELPFUL AS IT CAN BE, BOTH FOR THE PERSON WHO'S SAYING THEY WANT TO HELP AND THE PERSON WHO NEEDS HELP.

SOME NEED TRAINING.

THERE ARE AMERICANS WHO MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO ACCESS BENEFITS FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE WHO NEW AMERICANS NEED DESPERATELY IN THE FIRST 90 DAYS, DESPERATELY IN THE FIRST YEAR.

WE FOUND THIS RELATIONSHIP TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE AND TO REALLY BE NOT EVEN POLITICAL BUT PERHAPS THE GREATEST DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN.

>> Cathy: SAY, MOHAMED, NOW, YOU'RE A SPONSOR.

IS YOUR FAMILY -- THE FAMILY YOU'RE SPONSORING, ARE THEY IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW?

>> YES.

>> Cathy: HOW ARE THEY DOING?

>> HE'S ERE.

HE'S WORKING RIGHT NOW, HE GOT A JOB, HE GOT A PLACE, HE'S PAYING HIS RENT AND HE KNOWS NOW HOW TO USE BUS.

SO I'M PROUD OF THAT, THAT IS COMING FROM THE REFUGEE CAMPS AND NOW HE'S HERE, HE'S ABLE TO HELP HIMSELF AND ACTUALLY SAVED HIS LIFE.

HE IS IN A BETTER PLACE NOW.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S THE BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE GIVEN HIM SO FAR?

>> OH, I ALWAYS TELL IM OTHERS TO FOLLOW THE RULES AND POLICY SO THAT THINGS WILL BE EASY FOR THEM.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, ASK.

>> Eric: ASK A QUESTION.

>> DON'T GUESS.

>> Cathy: ALWAYS ASK.

>> ALWAYS ASK.

>> Eric: IF A SKEPTIC SAYS I SUPPOSE THE TAXPAYERS ARE GOING TO GET STUCK WITH THIS, WHAT'S THE REJOINDER TO THAT?

>> I WOULD SAY THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT.

I WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY BEYOND BORDERS WHICH IS THE LOVE THAT ONE HUMAN SHOWS TO ANOTHER.

THERE'S A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE PAY FOR BECAUSE OF OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND THERE'S A LOT WHERE SOMETIMES WITH COVID, WITH ALL THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE LAST FOUR, FIVE YEARS, SOMETIMES ADMINISTRATION TO ADMINISTRATION THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY PAID FOR BUT MAY NOT BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE RIGHT WAY OR AS QUICKLY AS WE WANT.

AS CITIZENS COMING TO FORGE A GAP OR PERHAPS EVEN COMING TO HELP AND SAY I'VE ALREADY INVESTED IN THIS, I PAID FOR IT, BUT NOW I WANT IT TO DO WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO, WHICH IS TO CREATE A SPACE OR NEW AMERICANS AND PEOPLE LIKE ME.

SIX, YOU KNOW, I WAS SIX WHEN I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY.

I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE GIVING BACK, SHOWING THE WORLD A DIFFERENT KIND OF AMERICA.

SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A WASTED MONEY, IT'S ACTUALLY AN INVESTMENT, DEEP, DEEP INVESTMENT TO WHO WE ARE.

>> Cathy: THIS HAS BEEN A YEAR IN THE MAKING THIS PROGRAM.

JUST BRIEFLY, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

>> WE'VE LEARNED A LOT.

WE'VE LEARNED IT'S NOT EASY TO ASSUME THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SPONSOR.

WHAT IT REQUIRES, THE TIME AND INVESTMENT.

BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S BEEN QUITE SURPRISING.

THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP THAN WE THOUGHT.

>> Eric: AND IF FOLKS WANT TO BECOME A SPONSOR CAN THEY GO THROUGH YOUR AGENCY?

>> COME THROUGH OUR AGENCY, WE'RE RIGHT HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS.

WE HAVE OUR WEBSITE AT WE ARE AREALIGHT.ORG.

MOHAMED IS DOING TWO THINGS AT ONCE, HE WAS SPONSORED AND HE'S LETTING THAT SPIRIT COME TO HIM AND HE'S SPONSORING.

IF PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE LOOK US UP, OPEN.

>> Cathy: MOHAMED, WHAT ARE YOUR FINAL WORDS FOR SOMEBODY WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING AND WANTS TO DO THIS?

>> I WOULD SAY ANYONE WHO WANTS TO SAVE LIVES, PLEASE, IT'S NEVER TOO L