United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County announce new fund for refugees

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Channel 8 is raising money to help Afghanistan and Ukraine refugees resettling in our community.

Stop by our station at 3240 S. 10th Street to drop off monetary donations until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

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The United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County announced a resettlement fund on Thursday to help refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan.

The fund will help them with basic needs such as housing, transportation and child care.

One person who knows what that money will do is Mo Shakir, a board member for the United Way who came to Lincoln from the Middle East.

He said this type of fund would have helped his family a lot.

“When we moved here, we had support for 90 days. And after the 90 days, we’re on our own, ” he said. “And we had to learn the English language. We had to learn the culture. We had to learn how to get a house, how to get a place to live at, so it was it was very, very tough. We managed, but if there was something like this that would have helped ease this big burden, it would have made our life a lot easier.”

The goal is to raise $400,000 in the next month, in the hopes of distributing the funds to local nonprofits helping refugees in July.

And when Lincoln is called to help people in need, community members step up.

“It is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Shakir said. “If you want a true example of the American dream, it’s here. We as a community are always the first ones to stand up and the last ones to come down when we need anything.”

Lincoln expects to welcome up to 200 Ukrainian refugees in the next six to 12 months.  So far, about 65 people from Ukraine have resettled here.

There are also 446 people from Afghanistan that now call Lincoln home.

To donate, visit the United Way of Lincoln’s website or text “Resettle” to 41444.

Channel 8 is also proud to be hosting a donation drive for the fund on June 29.

Community members can drop off monetary donations in a drive-thru fundraiser in the TV station’s parking lot.

If you want to mail a donation, make a check out to “United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County.”

Put “Lincoln Resettlement Fund” in the memo line and mail the check to United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County, 238 S. 13th St., Lincoln, NE, 68508.