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When it comes to caring for our residents and neighbors, the needs of the community are not lost on APS.
The company has developed a relationship with a local organization dedicated to helping young Sudanese men who have entered the United States to flee unrest and persecution in their country. These “Lost Boys of the Sudan,” have come to American cities like Phoenix looking for a better life.
It’s estimated there are more than 20,000 Lost Boys — young men who escaped murder when their Dinka villages were destroyed in the late 1980s by fighting between Islamic fundamentalists in the North and Southern Sudanese separatists. They wandered through the desert, faced enemy fire and hunger, and eventually reached United Nation’s camps, where they became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.
But those who came to Phoenix are no longer lost. They are finding homes right here.
APS is helping make the transition a bit easier. But the relationship between APS and AZ Lost Boys Center goes beyond APS simply writing sponsorship checks. When the organization came to APS looking for help in establishing itself in the community, the company responded, agreeing to produce a video and host a photo gallery based on young men from the center.
“We serve the needs of refugees; war orphans from the Sudan, who are in this country fleeing social unrest or other situations that can threaten the lives of these young men,” said Ann Wheat, president of the board of directors of AZ Lost Boys Center.
“What APS has done for us is provide an opportunity for the community to know the important work done at our center. It’s very difficult for a non-profit in its infancy state. And APS, more than anyone else, has really helped us to introduce the AZ Lost Boys to the community,” Wheat said.
Initially, APS created a video which details the center’s effort to find work and integrate these young men and boys into mainstream society. The video was intended as a tool to be used by the organization to raise awareness.
But, while APS was making preparations to host a photography exhibit at its downtown offices entitled “Faces of Hope,” they got a call from AZ Lost Boys Center.
Because of a drop off in Federal grants, the organization found itself in need of assistance. That’s when APS Community Relations Representative Joanna De’shay, offered to donate the money slated for the exhibit to the center.
“We decided it was better to donate the money that was going to be used for the gallery exhibit and put it where it could do the most good,” De’shay said. “While the photo gallery would have been a good way to for AZ Lost Boys Center to promote their organization, and thank their board members and staff, there were some bigger needs the organization had to fill.”
De’shay said the money was used by the organization to buy essentials such as notebooks, backpacks, shoes and socks.
“These young men come here to work and go to school. They are some of the hardest workers you will ever see and they take the opportunities given to them very seriously,” said De’shay. “We felt the least we could do is help them to acclimate to life in this country. And while shoes and socks don’t sound like much, when you think that most of them either walk to school or work, it’s a big deal.”
The AZ Lost Boys Center, which has been in Phoenix for more than three years, is the only one of its kind in the U.S. The center offers these young men long-term assistance with educational development and career advancement. Industry and experienced volunteers provide classes and workshops to the young men in areas such as music, English as a Second Language, citizenship, and computer skills.
“Our organization helps these young men by giving them a lifeline and a stepping stone to and a decent life, Wheat said. “We couldn’t do that without the help of organizations like APS.”
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