Refugee picnic brings together community members with different cultures, sheds light on cloudy futures
- Jasz Garrett
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Families from other countries express gratitude for local support; sponsors thank them for enriching Juneau
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
Editor’s note: Last names and full names have been omitted from this article due to concerns for the safety of refugees and immigrants, despite their current legal status.
A month after an annual Juneau picnic was canceled for refugees and their supporters, heavy hearts were lifted. The smell of grilled hot dogs and chicken burgers wafted through the air at Auke Recreation Area on Monday evening. People from Ukraine and Venezuela said the rescheduled picnic filled them with gratitude.
Bruce Botelho, a founding member of the Juneau Refugee Resettlement, said people of other nationalities may have been present at the picnic, but the group’s focus has been on the refugees they support.
The Juneau Refugee Relief Fund, operated through the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, has helped refugee families find a new life in Juneau since 2022. The picnic hosted by Juneau Refugee Resettlement was initially planned for July 18, but was canceled after fear circulated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in town.
In a letter to supporters that week, resettlement group member Bridget Smith said at least two ICE agents were believed to be in Juneau. She said refugee and immigrant families were alerted to their presence. Mayor Beth Weldon told a local radio station at the time she was unable to confirm ICE agents were in town.
“We have all been working on this picnic now for almost a month, and we’re joyfully looking forward to it,” Smith wrote in July. “However, we have been advised by several professionals who work with immigrants and refugees that we should cancel our picnic. The last thing we would want to do is to put our friends in harm’s way. And so with heavy hearts, we are letting you know that we’re canceling the picnic with the hope that we will plan one later.”
But in Monday’s sunshine, a family from Ukraine caught up with their local sponsor circle — a group of Juneau residents who came together in 2022 to help refugees find safety in Alaska’s capital city.
Andrii’s family first left Kyiv in 2022, stopping to live in Ireland before flying to Juneau. Botelho, Dave Hunsaker, Annie Calkins, Kate Troll, and Stephanie Hoag helped them by taking care of legal forms, setting up health and social services, and finding housing for the family.
Calkins remembered the late Karen Crane, who also helped Andrii’s family settle in Juneau. The family was welcomed with flowers and balloons at Juneau International Airport in October 2022, and their new home was fully furnished when they arrived.
Calkins, a former assistant superintendent of the Juneau School District, helped Andrii’s two children enroll in elementary and high school. She said the sponsor circle’s motivation in relocating the family was learning about the war and wanting to do something to “really help.”
As the war continues in Ukraine, they still feel that way. Every Christmas, Calkins and her husband, Hunsaker, host a party for refugee families. They made their holiday plans for this year at Monday’s picnic.
Much has changed since Andrii’s family came to Juneau, Calkins said. When the family first arrived, they couldn’t speak English.
“That was a challenge,” she said.
The sponsor circle helped enroll them in language classes. Andrii said his son, Yehor, graduated from high school this year and plans to work in construction before deciding on his future career.
“He finished his school during three years, not four,” he said. “He jumped one class because he took more classes.”
Inside the shelter, a sizable spread of snacks and drinks decked the picnic table where families and friends gathered to listen to Andrii and Botelho.
“We’re so delighted that you’re here tonight and just have a chance again to do fellowship with you and reassure you of our devotion to your ability to stay here in this country and in this community with us,” Botelho said. “Particularly as we think of the developments in both Venezuela and in Ukraine, that we can pray that the situation will dramatically improve, despite the best efforts of our federal administration otherwise.”
In early January, former President Joe Biden’s homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, extended Ukraine’s designation for temporary protected status through October 2026.
President Donald Trump suspended the Uniting for Ukraine policy, a program that allowed Ukrainians to enter the U.S. on humanitarian parole for two years, when he took office on Jan. 20. Trump paused admissions under the program and barred those already in the U.S. from renewing their two-year work permits and deportation protections. Trump has also blocked pathways to permanent legal status.
The end of the program impacts approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who entered the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine program, leaving them questioning their safety in America.
At the picnic, Botehlo told the Ukrainians, “I’m not going to tell you not to worry about next year, but you don’t have to worry about this year. And we’ll take it a year at a time.”
Andrii gave a short speech near the fire burning inside the shelter’s fireplace.
“We are grateful,” he told the sponsors. “We try to also give your community everything we can to make this city better, and we really work hard to make it nicer. And thank you guys for give us a new chance to be here, part of your community. Thank you.”
Other members of the Juneau Refugee Resettlement Group thanked the picnickers for being part of the community. After the speeches, families went back to laughing and enjoying their food.
“We here about almost three, four years, and during this time we feel every day support, like we feel that there is a lot of people, they truly care about us,” Andrii said in an interview.
From conversations at the picnic, it’s clear Ukrainians take life day by day, not knowing what will happen after next year.
Andrii’s family arrived in the U.S. before Aug. 16, 2023, which allowed them to reapply for temporary protected status this spring. But Andrii said “nothing changed, unfortunately” since February, when he expressed concerns about instability. Although his family’s temporary protected status and others were extended, it’s only to Oct. 19, 2026.
“We feel the people here, they always try to ask how they can help us, or how we can be supported,” he said. “But also it’s like a two-way road, and also we want to do something good here. Like, make something back.”
Andrii noted that many Ukrainians who were ineligible to reapply for temporary protected status have already left the U.S. Some Ukrainians faced deportation starting in April. On Aug. 15, the Uniting for Ukraine program lapsed without renewal, meaning parole grants for those who arrived after August 2023 began expiring on a rolling basis.
“I hope during months, the government solves something because it’s a lot of good people here,” Andrii said. “They make this country better just doing the regular job.”
Another Ukrainian family allowed to stay at least until next year said they have faith in God to get them through. The couple’s son, who was born in Juneau, had his first birthday this August.
“I believe in God – I trust – no problem,” the father said.
They thanked local sponsor Kate Troll for her help in getting them adjusted.
“New language, new space, new people, mentality,” the mother said. “But now we feel very good here.”
Their baby celebrated with his parents and their friends, Kateryna and Nick. On Monday, the group of Ukrainians stood under the shade of spruce trees, looking out at the mountains and ocean.
“It’s one time of year Ukrainians come together,” Kateryna said about the annual picnic.
Kateryna grew up in Uman, Ukraine, where the summers are “too hot.” She said she likes summer in Juneau.
“It’s good to live here,” she said.
Kateryna brought bite-sized sandwiches filled with cheese and meat to share. She said she misses her country’s vareniki, sour cherry dumplings, and borscht, a cabbage beet soup. She added that she has grown to love Alaska’s salmon – she wasn’t a fan of seafood before.
She and her husband arrived last year with the support of Kateryna’s childhood friend, Alla Kalinovska. Kateryna and Kalinovska have known each other since they were six years old.
“After high school, we separated our ways, because she stayed in Ukraine and I left to study social work,” Kalinvoska said. “So we go in different cities, countries, and came back together.”
Kalinovska arrived in the U.S. almost three years ago through the United for Ukraine program. Her mother, who was already in Kodiak, sponsored her, and then she helped bring Kateryna to Juneau.
The two friends agreed that Juneau’s summers are beautiful, even if the rain can be depressing. They said they go skiing together in the winter.
Kalinovska is currently studying for her bachelor's in graphic design at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She needs two more years to finish her degree, but said she may not be able to since her status ends in October 2026, which “is the hardest thing.”
“I try not to think about it, and every day will be good,” Kalinovska said. “We all have jobs and friends here.”
Kateryna received her work permit a year ago and worked at restaurants before starting a cleaning business last month. Her friend designed a logo, and local sponsor Joyanne Bloom helped her start the business. Bloom also sent out an announcement about the launch of her business to the supporters of Juneau Refugee Resettlement. Kateryna said she is also learning English, meeting online with a Ukrainian tutor twice a week.
The two friends can be in the U.S. for one more year through the United for Ukraine program.
“We must wait,” Kateryna said.
When asked about the recent Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, she said she chose not to attend a Friday protest in Juneau because “it’s too dangerous for us.” She said it could put their U.S. status and documentation in jeopardy. She also said it was unlikely she would have protested even if she hadn’t been afraid. But, she said, she felt safe at the picnic.
A Venezuelan family who experienced fear earlier this year said they were glad they stayed in Juneau. They received a “Notice of Termination of Parole” dated April 11, declaring, “It is time for you to leave the United States.”
After consulting with an attorney, the family was told the notice had no legality. They said they think it was just meant to scare them away. The adults have work permits for five more years and said they are feeling good about their life in Juneau. Such notices were sent in error by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Venezuelan families nationwide while legal challenges were pending.
Earlier this year, Trump terminated programs like humanitarian parole and temporary protected status for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. The notice asked them to depart the U.S. by April 24.
A Haitian family that legally arrived in the U.S. chose to leave Juneau after being targeted by the Department of Homeland Security order. They did not want to wait to see if the legality of the order would be validated or if their parole status would be renewed. In April, the Haitian family fled to Canada from Juneau.
Those present at the picnic ate together on the steps leading to the beach or inside the shelter. Brian, who came to America a few years ago from Peru, ate with the Venezuelan family.
He said he is a caretaker at REACH, a nonprofit organization providing services to individuals of all ages who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. Brian said it’s his long-term goal to study psychology because he wants to help people.
Before coming to Juneau, Brian lived in New York City, but he said there was no job stability. He said there are more opportunities in Juneau because the city needs workers. He said he came to the U.S. for educational opportunities and hopes his family can have the same. His family lives in Spain.
“I miss my mom, my son, but I want to support my family,” he said, explaining that he sends the money he makes back to them.
He said Bloom, as a local sponsor, helped him learn English by connecting him with a volunteer, Ellen Pavitt. They met one-on-one at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. Many immigrants and refugees struggle to attend classes because they take place during their work schedule, Bloom said, so finding volunteers is helpful. Brian expressed his gratitude for having someone devote their time and attention to him.
“Learning English is hard, very frustrating,” he said.
A Venezuelan girl agreed. She attends high school in Juneau and said her English has improved.
“School is now really easy,” the high school junior said. “Last year was hard. I couldn’t speak English. Now I can. I made friends.”
She said that at school on Monday, her U.S. history teacher asked the class to rate living in America on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being the best. She answered a seven because she feels the country in general is xenophobic, although she said she feels that Juneau’s community is welcoming.
“It’s really hard, and the people think it’s not hard, but it is,” she said about coming to the U.S. Her family entered the United States legally via the asylum process in 2024.
Editor’s note: Bruce Botelho is president of the Juneau Independent’s board of directors.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
