Wheels for Change
HELP OUR NEW NEIGHBORS HELP THEMSELVES
SO THEY CAN
HELP US REVITALIZE DETROIT!
EMPOWER
Wheels for Change are small efforts with big aims.
We support refugee families who have escaped horrific war and strife in many parts of the world.
They are our new neighbors, as many resettle in our neighborhoods across Detroit, Michigan.
Their will, their only resource, is also their strongest.
Their will has helped them survive unimaginable difficulties, trials we would never wish to face in our own lives.
Tapping into their will is a sure way to bring about sustainable change in their new lives in Detroit.
As Metro Detroiters, we want to show our love for our neighbors and for our city.
To get on a path to sustainable economic independence, these families, our new neighbors, need our help now.
Help them, so they can help us rebuild Detroit.
WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE
OUR STORY
Mr Khalid Iqbal, Director, ICNA, Michigan
FROM THE HEART
TESTIMONIALS
...the care... for the families, sincerity, clear vision, goals, and professional attitude have made me confident...
..thanks to donations... and a lot of planning work, we have established a garden at the transitional home... also working with refugee children to teach life skills...
...an asset to our Detroit community...
I have been a witness to her impressive commitment, unusually creative thinking skills ...determination ...passion for the cause of refugee resettlement...
Our intent as a group of concerned Detroiters is to help the cause of hundreds of refugee families escaping the most horrific war and strife-torn parts of the world as they resettle and try to start their lives over in our Metro Detroit neighborhoods.
My motivation as a Detroiter came from what I saw during small community volunteer efforts to collect donations and help these families settle into their new homes and new lives. Many families were injured, victimized, brutally exploited, even incapacitated, in their flight from war zones and had arrived with children bearing their own deep scars from extreme physical and mental trauma. Through this all, a heartwarming reality I saw in every face was immense determination and will.
The best help leverages their will to be independent — even as I rallied to collect food and clothing, I felt I was falling short by fostering dependence; not building on the drive and spirit of these families. Without a car, I saw them walk for miles to ask for work, to get a child to a doctor, or to get a family to a community center or a soup kitchen in the cold and snow. Wheels for Change was born with that first initiative, involving collecting small donations (one shade of “change”) to help them find work and to help them find “wheels” (used cars) to reliably get to work—hence, “Wheels for Change”.
Our initiatives, with the involvement of many others in the Metro Detroit area, have grown to include working closely with refugee women and children, in urban gardening and in practical skills training, job search, and in health care and health maintenance.
We recognize a key need — Helping hands need to address the reality that newly-resettled refugees, usually from war-torn countries, are unfortunate victims of significant mental and psychosocial distress, and suffer from diverse medical conditions brought on or worsened by traumatic stress. Addressing these factors is foundational to strengthening their ability to focus energy on the challenge of building a new life from scratch.
We are “Wheel Changers”, hoping to make Real Change through sustainable solutions:
Empowering Self Help.
We can put these families on a path to self-sustenance.
Let's leverage their will and drive to support Detroit’s own reset:
Onward and upward to a sustainable future!
Nadia Khan
Founder, Wheels for Change
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Our Growing Cast of Wheel Changers (Mahim, Surya, Manal, Eman, Sidra, Taylor, Hanifa, Quentin, Natalie, Abdulmoiz, Adnan...) and our many supportive professionals and collaborators!
WHEEL CHANGERS FOR REAL CHANGE
ABOUT US
ONGOING INITIATIVES
HELP US HELP THEM
Help us
Settle in
Families arrive in Detroit alone and with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many have been injured or incapacitated fleeing a war zone, with children bearing their own deep scars of extreme physical and mental trauma.
Your help providing necessities, a welcome packet, groceries and immediate needs, can make a welcome difference!
Help us
Use Our Hands
The breadwinners of many of the refugee families who arrive here have always been their family’s providers. In an unfamiliar place, with no family support structure and no means to job search however makes the prospect of not being able to provide, worrisome, depressing, even frightening. Your support with finding their first jobs, a first step to economic independence, can make a difference!
Help us
Use Our Skills
Some of our refugee family members have skills they hope to put to use to provide for their families. The transition to finding skilled work requires opportunities at apprenticeships to get an understanding of standards and practices in the US and be able to transition into such full-time jobs. Help with job applications and exploring and facilitating job opportunities with local employers.
Help us
With Our
Refugee Healthcare Service
initiative
We recognize that newly resettled refugee families are often unfortunate victims of significant mental and psychosocial issues; many with unaddressed medical conditions. Our plan to address this key need is through periodic weekend screening and support events, staffed by professional volunteers,
- Medical health screening
- Assistance with medical insurance applications
- Nutrition screening
- Psychiatric needs screening
Help us
Grow Detroit
Women refugees are especially vulnerable. Many are from traditional societies where independent work outside the home by a woman is considered undesirable, even objectionable. By drawing them out to participate in activities close to home, such as urban gardening, they find opportunities to bond and develop a support system among others in their or similar situations, besides having access to a means of livelihood.
Help us
With Wheels
Even those who find work find that holding down a job requires access to reliable transportation to get to work everyday. In many parts of Metro Detroit, public transportation is either not adequate or not available. A car is a necessity, but is not achievable for those supporting large families on a small income. Please help donate to our signature cause, as we work to find reliable used cars for these deserving families!
Related Thoughts, Essays, and Publications
MUSINGS & INSIGHTS
PLEASE REACH OUT!
CONTACT US
Wheels For Change
Empowering Self Help
Efforts supported in Detroit by
