COMMUNITY HELPERS
Back row: Bill Gross and Gary Andaas Front row: Ann Gross and Becky Barger Not pictured: Meredith and David Romley, Chris Carroll, Trana Rashid, and Jeanne Andaas
With Open Arms Cornelius residents work together to welcome refugee family from Afghanistan by Allie Spencer photography by Jon Beyerle
In late summer, the Hashemi family, fearing for their lives, were evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. State Department. Salim Hashemi had served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army and was undergoing the lengthy process of applying for a special immigrant visa. He was trusted and he was at risk, as was his wife Najila and their four young children. As they left their home, their people, their culture, and nearly all of their possessions in pursuit of safety, there was a community of people in Lake Norman putting the wheels in motion to prepare for their arrival.
Genius form where community members could sign up to provide essentials like furnishings, appliances, food, clothing or volunteer their time to help move the family into their new home. Word spread quickly as the SignUp Genius was posted to social media and shared in group chats between friends and neighbors.
The local community effort was spearheaded by Cornelius residents Meredith and David Romley. The Romleys, who moved to Cornelius in 2018 after many years in Washington D.C., reached out to the State Department when the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was announced. David, who served two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan during his 20 years with the U.S. Marine Corps, and Meredith felt they should take care of the people that took care of American soldiers when they were in Afghanistan.
The Romleys experienced an outpouring of support from their own friends and neighbors, but also connected with people they had never met before, like Trana The Hashemi children enjoyed Rashid, a pharmacist and first gen- celebrating Halloween with donated costumes. eration Afghan American who lives in Cornelius. Rashid, who still has family in Afghanistan, had been watching the news 24/7 and was feeling helpless when she saw a post on the app Nextdoor with a link to the Signup Genius. She texted Meredith to let her know that she could speak Farsi and could help sourcing any cultural items. They got in touch and came up with a plan to have Rashid accompany them to the hotel where the Hashemis had been quarantining so they would be greeted by another Afghan.
“We benefitted immensely from having interpreters alongside us, says David. “We could not have done what we tried to do without them. I credit them for saving lives, literally.” Initially, the Romleys were told that the Charlotte area may not be accepting refugees due to the lack of affordable housing. “We said to the resettlement agency, ‘You find us a family and we’ll figure it out,’” says Meredith Romley.
Signing up to help In August, the Romleys got the call that there was a family of six arriving in 12 hours. That’s when the Romleys reached out to the Lake Norman community for help. Meredith created a SignUp 36
LAKE NORMAN CURRENTS | DECEMBER 2021
“Within hours of me posting what we needed, it was filled,” says Meredith.
“Najila [Hashemi] looked stunned, but then she reached in for a hug. She was really happy to see a familiar face, another Afghan,” says Rashid of their first meeting. Rashid says when the family eventually arrived at their new house, they were happy and excited. She describes the house as fully furnished, the fridge and pantry fully stocked, and the kitchen completely outfitted with everything necessary.
