Bob Gordon and Kelly Daniels often attend the ultimate graduation day for their students: their swearing-in as U.S. citizens.
For several years, the two Atlantans have been volunteering with the local office of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a humanitarian organization providing emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster.
Gordon and Daniels teach the IRC’s free citizenship test preparation classes, helping refugees reach the required levels of proficiency in English and civics (American history and government) to become naturalized citizens.
"If I could have about 150 Bob Gordons and Kelly Daniels, we at the IRC could move mountains," said Justin Howell, executive director of the IRC office in Atlanta.
The time, interest, and passion that they have put into helping these individuals, their families, and future generations "is really incredible," he said.
Gordon – a Vietnam veteran, history lover, and world traveler who retired from UPS in 2007 – initially planned to volunteer at IRC for about a month back in 2015. He lost his parents and “wanted to do something different.”
”You get in, then you’re hooked,” said Gordon, who calls his seven years of volunteering with IRC “the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Gordon has developed, launched, and led dozens of citizenship test prep classes. Daniels joined him in 2017. She, too, had very personal reasons for jumping in. Not only is she a first-generation American, but she also knows the refugee journey through the eyes of her longtime partner, who fled the Bosnian war.
”Once you know better, it is hard not to do better,” said Daniels, an artist and furniture maker.
Daniels and Gordon have been team-teaching the prep classes since 2017. Daniels uses her artistic talents to create illustrations to help the students, some of whom know little English, understand the words and complicated concepts Gordon is explaining.
Credit: Photo courtesy of IRC in Atlanta
Credit: Photo courtesy of IRC in Atlanta
The students are often very nervous. They must be able to answer any of a list of 100 possible questions, which studies have shown would stump plenty of Americans. The test is oral and in English and may include questions such as: When was the U.S. Constitution written? What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? Who did the United States fight in World War II? Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
Past students, including Asma Rafi and Jorge Del Cid, bubble over when they talk about their former teachers.
“Mr. Bob and Kelly are the best. They helped me a lot,” said Rafi, a native of Afghanistan who took the test prep class in 2016.
As a citizen of the U.S., Rafi said she can practice any religion, go to school, and have a job, things she couldn’t do in her homeland. “I am really happy,” said Rafi, who is 22 and works at Walmart.
Jorge Del Cid, a native of Guatemala, said he put off for years trying to pursue citizenship. But when he did go to IRC for help, Gordon and Daniels “were his angels,” patiently going over and over everything he needed to know to pass the citizenship test in 2017.
About 250 people have completed the IRC’s local citizenship prep class in the past five years, said Christopher Carpenter, adult education program supervisor at IRC Atlanta. Daniels and Gordon have made personal connections with many of their students, believing that’s important.
“Refugees, in particular, a lot of them feel unseen,” Daniels said. She has invited students to her home for a meal, and both she and Gordon are often in the crowd at the naturalization ceremonies for new citizens.
Last year, the two took their volunteer efforts to an even higher level. They co-wrote “Citizenship Prep: A Study Guide for the U.S. Citizenship Test, “complete with hand-drawn illustrations by Daniels, games, and more.
The book costs $18.99, and all the profits (roughly $9 a copy) go to the IRC in Atlanta. Sales were brisk enough in the first year that Gordon and Daniels recently presented a check to IRC for $1,000.
The two teachers would like to help more immigrants and to see more people volunteering. It’s a cause and an organization well worth helping, Gordon said.
“It’s ordinary people doing extraordinary things regularly,” he said.
MORE DETAILS
The IRC in Atlanta’s free Citizenship Preparation Classes are held via Zoom on Mondays, noon to 1:30 p.m., and Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon. Books and study materials are free. To register, contact Christopher.Carpenter@rescue.org or call or text 770-710-8724.
More about the IRC in Atlanta: Rescue.org/Atlanta
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