20 Years Later, A Pilot Visits Vive, Where He Spent The Night As A Child Seeking Asylum
It was just a regular Tuesday when Jorge Ardila knocked on Vive’s door. He had been there before, but not quite like this.
Jorge and his family stayed for just one night at Vive when he was a young boy, over 20 years ago. The next day they woke up to a warm meal, some legal help, and took a bus to Canada. There, they were granted refugee, and eventually, citizenship status. Now a pilot, Jorge had a chance to come back to Buffalo–as he was scheduled to fly the Sabres to a game in Newark!
When Jorge was at Vive the first time, it was at our old location, 50 Wyoming. Now, Vive looks much different and at first, he thought he might not be in the right “Vive.” However, after being greeted by Vive staff, he learned about the transformation that is our new location, 1500 Main Street. Vive staff gave him a quick tour and learned about his time there as a child and all that he and his family experienced after their night with us so many years ago.
In a recent interview with Natalie Brophy of the Buffalo News he said this, “I’m very, very privileged to be where I am today. It gets to be a little emotional, because it’s one of those things where I just don’t know what my future would have been like if my parents didn’t come to Canada and decide to take that leap of faith. It demanded so much of them, stepping into the unknown.” See the full article here.
Our work at Vive is to act as a bridge. We provide shelter, food, clothing, legal advice, and when appropriate, connections to Canada or to family in other cities in the US. If our residents decide to stay in Buffalo and continue their asylum claim here, we eventually support them in their integration into the Buffalo community.
We see so many people like Jorge, needing a bit of support during a vulnerable time, but then absolutely thriving in life after they get into the community. We are so thankful to Jorge for stopping in to visit us and for all the ways he has supported us since then.
Immigrants are welcome here!
