Singing songs that ranged from a barbershop quartet-influenced version of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” to sacred hymns to songs from around the world, the Elm City Girls’ Choir offered a 90-minute concert on Sunday, Jan. 26, to benefit Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS).
The concert at Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven came at the end of the first week of the new administration of President Donald J. Trump, marked by the beginning of mass deportations and a freezing of refugee resettlement programs that has left IRIS with a $4 million shortfall in funds to resettle newly arrived immigrants and refugees.
Chris Lee, speaking on behalf of the church’s Bethesda Music Series, noted the program’s two missions: “As a ministry we have two simple objectives. One, to benefit local service agencies, two, to celebrate the gift of music. And boy, do we have a musical gift with us today.”
“We’re so grateful for your support,” Maggie Mitchell Salem, executive director of IRIS, told the audience before introducing Tetyana Pavelo, a community outreach specialist at IRIS. “Tetyana, who’s from Ukraine, understands what all of this means in very real terms, and I want you to hear from her. I will just say that last year we resettled over 800 refugees, and we supported over 1000 humanitarian parolees, and we helped dozens of people seeking asylum and trying to avoid being removed from the country because they had a credible claim to asylum.”
Pavelo then told her own story of immigrating from Ukraine, where she worked as a journalist. She started at IRIS in July 2023, after gaining a fine arts degree from the University of Bridgeport and working as a graphic designer.
“There were safety concerns due to political events,” said Pavelo, a single mom, speaking of her decision to leave Ukraine. “My choice was to pick safety for my future, for my family, and I voluntarily became an immigrant. I saw this difficult and lengthy vetting process where they check you and interview you, and I know that for people that are in refugee camps, the story is much more difficult.”
As Pavelo works to help families resettle in New Haven, she can relate to their experiences because of her own journey. “I was lucky to have support from the Ukrainian community, from local organizations, and I try to give this back to people that are in need right now.” At IRIS, Tetyana helps her clients enroll their children in school, find housing, and find English language classes, among other tasks. “I help them improve their skills to prepare them for interviews and give them resources where they can find legal support. What is the best option so they can be self-sufficient to contribute to our community and financially help people open businesses and create jobs for all of us here? I want everyone to understand that a refugee is not someone over there, it’s all of us. We live here, we pay taxes, and our children go to school.” Tetyana reflected on our uncertain times and welcomed the audience’s support of IRIS.
Tetyana went on to highlight the difficulties for Ukrainian refugees stating, “What will happen if you have to go back home? How about you don’t have a home anymore? How about that city [that] doesn’t exist because it was leveled by bombs, and children could be with PTSD and in a bomb shelter? It’s a very traumatic experience, and it’s a very difficult time, and our team tries to provide as much support as we can, with as little resources as we have. It’s a time to say thank you, to all of you, to just be part of it.”
