About Us
Who we are and
what we do
The Gordon Glass Sponsor Circle (GGSC), an organization dedicated to supporting Ukrainians who recently have immigrated to San Juan County. The mission of the Gordon Glass Sponsor Circle is to assist families that have had to flee from their home country and come to the U.S. because of violence.
The circle is named in honor ofGordon Glass, a retired Farmington family counselor, community activist and avid outdoors enthusiast who was a tireless advocate for making our community a better place and building connections with people from different backgrounds.
The nationwide Sponsor Circle initiative began in fall 2021 in response to the need of resettlement support for Afghans who had been evacuated from Afghanistan. After the war in Ukraine started in spring 2022, the scope of sponsor circles was expanded to include support for Ukrainian refugees. The Gordon Glass Sponsor Circle was one of the first sponsor circles in the country to sponsor a Ukrainian family, and the success of that endeavor led the group to be asked to assist additional families by organizers of a Ukrainian aid organization based in Atlanta.The GGSC currently supports four Ukrainian families who have relocated to Farmington, New Mexico.
While the Gordon Glass Sponsor Circle has dozens of circle members and other volunteers who contribute to its efforts, a core group eight people servesas the leadership team for the circle and keeps careful track of the funds that have been donated to support the families.
ABOUT US
Sub Circles
Each Ukrainian family came to the United Stated under United for Ukraine program. An American sponsor has to fill out an application with USCIS and petition for a travel authorization for a specific Ukrainian family. When all background is cleared for both sides, the family is allowed to travel to the US and stay her for at least two years as a refugee. They will be allowed to work after filing a work authorization once already in the US soil. The GGSC includes 8 to 12 core members core who serve as the leadership team for the circle and keeps careful track of the funds that have been donated on behalf of the families. The family sponsors are core group members as well.
The rest of the volunteers are grouped into welcome sub-circles to support each family. Each member of the welcome group has assigned function such as finding housing, helping to find furniture, helping with governmental paperwork, getting connected with schools, tutoring, entertainment, learning money, driving, etc.