>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THE WAR IN UKRAINE HAS SPARKED A GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN CRISIS. MORE THAN
2 MILLION UKRAINIANS HAVE FLED
THEIR HOME COUNTRY. OTHER
COUNTRIES ARE STEPPING IN TO
HELP LOCALLY ORGANIZATIONS
RIGHT HERE IN THE RIVER CITY
ARE PREPARING TO WELCOME
DOZENS OF FAMILIES TO OUR CITY
IN THE COMING WEEKS. LORI
WEBER, THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR
OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES,
JACKSONVILLE JOINS US NOW TO
DISCUSS HOW THE WAR IS
IMPACTING LOCAL REFUGEE
RESETTLEMENT EFFORTS. AND MOST
IMPORTANTLY, HOW YOU CAN HELP.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU, LORI.
>> GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR
HAVING ME. ABSOLUTELY. SO WE
ARE WATCHING THIS UNFOLD.
WE’RE WATCHING IN HORROR.
QUITE FRANKLY, WE’RE WATCHING
THIS CRISIS AS PEOPLE GO
THROUGH SO MUCH PAIN AND
SUFFERING AND THEY DON’T KNOW
WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO GO NEXT
AFTER THEY LEAVE THEIR WAR
TORN COUNTRY. THE QUESTION IS
HOW DO THEY GET FROM EUROPE TO
HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND
SPECIFICALLY RIGHT HERE IN THE
RIVER CITY?
>> THEY WILL BE WORKING
THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT
IN COMING THROUGH AND WORKING
WITH OUR UNITED STATES
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF
BISHOPS. WE WILL THEN
RECEIVING SOME OF THOSE
UKRAINIAN, SIR, THAT PIPELINE.
WE’RE ANTICIPATING ALREADY.
35. UKRAINIAN REFUGEES THAT
WHERE I’M PLANNING FOR ALREADY
THROUGH OUR TRADITIONAL
RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM. AND SO
SUBSEQUENTLY, WE ARE IN THE
PROCESS OF PREPARING HOMES FOR
THEM AND ALSO WORKING TO MAKE
SURE THAT OUR STAFF OF
RESETTLEMENT SPECIALISTS ARE
READY TO PICK THEM UP AT THE
AIRPORT. WHEN WE GET THE WORD,
GET THEM SOME SAFE HOUSING,
MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE
FURNITURE AND FOOD AND GET
THEM IN A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN
FEEL SAFE. WELCOME. AND SOME
RELIEF.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: CERTAINLY.
AND WHILE THIS IS A HORRIBLE
SITUATION, WE HAVE SEEN YOUR
ORGANIZATION, YOUR VOLUNTEERS
AND YOUR TEAM MEMBERS DO THIS
IN THE PAST. MOST RECENTLY,
AFGHANISTAN, RIGHT?
>> CORRECT. CORRECT. AND MUCH
OF THE PROCESS WILL BE VERY
SIMILAR IN NATURE. HOWEVER, WE
DO KEEP THAT TOO PROCESS IS
SEPARATE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE’RE ADHERING TO PROTOCOLS
AND COMPLIANCE. HOWEVER, MUCH
OF THE NEED REMAINS THE SAME
IN TERMS DONATIONS NEEDED
FURNITURE NEEDED VOLUNTEER
TIME NEEDED IN ORDER TO HELP
US, FOR EXAMPLE, SET UP
APARTMENTS FOR THESE INCOMING
REFUGEES AND WITHOUT KNOWING
THE EXACT NUMBER. ULTIMATELY,
WE ANTICIPATE THERE’S GOING TO
BE FAR MORE THAN 35 WE NEED TO
GET OUR PROCESSES IN PLACE.
AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE IN THE
PROCESS OF DOING RIGHT AND
THIS IS JUST THE FIRST WAVE.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: HOW ARE THESE
REFUGEES SELECTED? OBVIOUSLY,
WE SEE THAT THERE ARE MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPLACED,
WHO ARE REALLY IN CRISIS MODE
RIGHT NOW. ONLY A FEW OF THE
LUCKY ONES GET TO COME HERE.
THE UNITED STATES.
>> THAT AGAIN IS WE GET OUR
REFUGEES AT THE DIRECTION OF
THE STATE DEPARTMENT THROUGH
THE USCCB. AND SO WE ARE IN
CONSTANT CONTACT. WE GET
NOTIFICATION OF IS COMING TO
US. THEY ARE VETTED
INDIVIDUALS. THEY ARE UP TO
DATE ON THEIR MEDICAL NEEDS,
ETCETERA. PRIOR TO COMING TO
CATHOLIC CHARITIES IN
JACKSONVILLE. SO THERE’S A
PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND FRANKLY, AS IT’S UNFOLDING
RIGHT NOW, WE’RE DOING THE
BEST WE CAN TO KEEP PACE WITH
THAT OVERALL DIRECTION AND
PIPELINE OF FLOWN FROM
COMMUNICATION ALL THE WAY TO
RECEIVING THE REFUGEES AS THEY
CERTAINLY THERE’S OTHER GREAT
LOCAL NONPROFITS AND
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HELPING
DOING A SIMILAR THING. WANT TO
GO BACK TO WHAT YOU TALKED
ABOUT, NEEDING THE VOLUNTEERS,
NEEDING THE DONATIONS.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT A FREE
PROCESS ON ON YOUR END.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND, YOU
KNOW, IT TAKES MONEY AND
MANPOWER.
>>LENA PRINGLE: CORRECT. AND
ALL I CAN DO IS REALLY
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO A
COUPLE OF THINGS. NUMBER ONE
GOAL TO OUR WEBSITE, JAX DOT
ORG ON THERE. YOU MAY DONATE
MONEY. WE HAVE AN AMAZON WISH
LIST SET UP. YOU CAN DONATE IN
KIND DONATIONS SUCH AS
FURNITURE LAMPS, THINGS OF
THAT NATURE AND VOLUNTEER YOUR
ADDITIONALLY, I WOULD ADD THAT
IT’S IMPORTANT TO EDUCATE
YOURSELVES ABOUT THE REFUGEES
THAT WE ARE TAKING IN. AND
THAT INFORMATION IS ALSO
LISTED ON OUR WEB SITE. AND WE
ARE UPDATING THAT AS WE ARE
ABLE. SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED
AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
UNDERSTAND THE REFUGEES THAT
WERE RECEIVING, WHERE WE’RE
GETTING THEM FROM EDUCATING
YOURSELF IS VERY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THIS IS A HUMAN ISSUE
AND WE ARE SO BLESSED TO
CATHOLIC CHARITIES ALONG WITH
THE 8 OTHER RESETTLEMENT
AGENCIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE
FOR INTAKE OF THE TO BE ABLE
TO HELP THESE FOLKS. THIS IS
OUR MISSION. FRANCE FORMALIZE.
WE WANT THESE INDIVIDUALS TO
COME TO JACKSONVILLE, FEEL
SAFE YET HOUSE AND ON THEIR
WAY TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: YEAH. LAUREN
WEBER, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WANT
TO POINT OUT ONE MORE TIME YOU
DO NOT HAVE TO BE CATHOLIC OR
EVEN CHRISTIAN TO RECEIVE THE
SERVICES CATHOLIC WELL, AS
THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS,
THEY DON’T DISCRIMINATE BASED
ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OR
BACKGROUND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO CERTAINLY IF YOU WANT TO
VOLUNTEER, MAYBE YOU’RE NOT A
OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH OR THE
CHRISTIAN FAITH YOU ARE STILL
ABLE TO DO THAT 100%. THANK
YOU FOR YOUR TIME. SLEAZE AND
LET YOUR TEAM KNOW THAT WE
APPRECIATE THEM AS WELL DURING
THIS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TIME
FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD. SO THANK
YOU. INFORMATION IT’S GOING TO
BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE AFTER
THE SHOW. WE’VE ALSO COMPILED
A LIST OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
WHERE YOU CAN DONATE TO
SUPPORT UKRAINE. JUST LOOK FOR
THIS STORY ON NEWSFOURJAX DOT