Team of veterans helping Afghan families settle into new homes in Phoenix
PHOENIX - Veterans in the Phoenix area are volunteering to help Afghan families settle into new homes, and they are part of efforts that span across the country, following the withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn country.
Team Rubicon, which is a veteran-led disaster-response organization, is supporting Afghan families who are resettling in the Phoenix area.
"Our first event was actually in Haiti. There were a couple veterans and medical volunteers that back then who said, ‘hey, we need to help Haiti,’" said Team Rubicon team volunteer Jennifer Tanner-Leif.
Team Rubicon collected $34.4 million worth of donated items at seven military bases across the country, along with other household essentials, some of which are helping fill an apartment for an Afghan family. Tanner-Leif said carrying the heavy items are worth it for the special moments she gets to see.
"We taught a little girl how to play soccer, how to bounce a ball, and how to do a high five, so that was just going back to why I joined [Team Rubicon], is being on the other side of serving that population," said Tanner-Leif.
Team Rubicon, which has more than 140,000 volunteers, has launched more than 800 operations.