Announcement
Tom Greenleigh (he/him/his) has been volunteering with the IRC in Salt Lake City office for 8 years this month. He originally started out prepping farm land for their refugee gardening program, but wanted to work directly with clients. He then moved to teaching citizenship classes to refugees and has thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Since he began, Tom has enjoyed the encouragement he receives from the IRC in Salt Lake City staff to innovate, experiment, and find better ways to teach citizenship. Working to support refugee and immigrant communities is in Tom’s blood: his ancestors worked to rescue and resettle refugees during World War II.
How did you first get connected to the IRC?
I’d wanted to volunteer for quite some time but while managing and owning businesses and raising my kids it was difficult. When I had more time, the IRC in Salt Lake City was the first place I went. I’d heard from others about some experiences with nonprofits where things were very bureaucratic, there was a lot of infighting, and the environment was very stressful, so I thought I’d have to go through multiple organizations first to find one I like. But it was the most amazing thing that the first nonprofit I volunteered for was this marvelous organization of incredible people.
What motivates you to volunteer?
I’ve had a very good life and been blessed in many ways, and I want to give back. I felt guilty when I wasn’t doing it while raising my kids and focusing on my career. When things slowed down, I knew it was time to start helping people. Teaching wound up being a good match because I’ve been a business manager and business owner, and did lots of training. When I had the opportunity to teach I thought, "yeah, let’s try this." It worked well and became very rewarding.
What’s been particularly moving or meaningful during your volunteer work?
Changing people’s lives is always rewarding. Sometimes that’s related to acquiring citizenship: it enables them to get a better job, have relatives come to the US, their relatives can provide childcare so that they can get a better job, their children can keep government benefits that might expire if they just have a green card. For others it can mean having a good relationship with us - finding someone kind, considerate, and caring can change lives and perspectives.
What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering their time?
For the citizenship program specifically, it’s very different from most volunteer roles. It’s longer-term and you work with a far smaller number of people. But while you’re helping fewer people you’re helping them at a much more intimate level. You’re really getting to know them. It’s very fulfilling, but it’s a big commitment. You have to be reliable and consistent. The amount of emotional reward that you get from being in an intimate program like this, there’s no feeling in the world like that.
What impact do you feel you’ve had on the community you serve?
We’ve had clients whose benefits for their disabled children are renewed due to getting their citizenship, who have been promoted at work and don’t feel they would have been without their citizenship. And there’s the added benefit of all those hours of English conversation that rubs off and helps clients improve their skills. The clients seems to feel it’s an important impact overall - they tell each other about the program and it’s our greatest recruitment tool.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned since becoming an IRC volunteer?
How to communicate across language barriers. Our clients are very, very bright people, and even with the language barrier if you can find ways to simplify your language and vocabulary it’s amazing how much they learn and how complex the concepts are that they can understand about US history and government, even in a new language. Additionally, when working with clients each teacher learns what works for them. It’s beautiful to watch each mentor evolve into their own way of doing it. They have freedom and support to try new and different ways.
What is your proudest moment from your volunteer service?
I can’t answer - there have been so many and they’re the proudest moments of my life. I don’t want to rank them. If you take someone who might have had little education or had to leave their home in a hurry with only the things on their back, and they go through the citizenship ceremony, raise their right hand, and take the oath of allegiance that’s pretty amazing.
What’s your favorite story about working with one of our clients, staff, or other volunteers?
There’s a question on the citizenship application: have you ever been a member of a royal family or monarchy, do you have a title of nobility? If you do, you must do lots of explaining to show you’ll give up your title and all rights to it once you become a citizen. I was explaining this to a group of students and one looked very concerned. He said he wasn’t sure how to answer because his father is the village chieftain, and he was the oldest son so the title would be his. But it wound up that his father decided it would pass to his younger brother because he was staying in South Sudan.