A Place to Rest
Local high school senior orchestrates construction of 40 beds for newly-arrived refugees
In December of 2022 and January of 2023, CRIS had the honor of hosting John Liang, a Bexley High School senior, as he completed his Eagle Scout project. John has built and provided bedding for over 40 beds that have been donated to newly-arriving refugees since the start of 2023.
John joined Cub Scouts when he was in kindergarten and has remained in Scouts for the past 13 years. He explains, “I liked the service and the leadership component. I think one thing that really impressed me with scouting is that a lot of it is youth-led. You have scouts running meetings [and] planning campouts.”
John has long been exposed to immigration issues, since his mother has experience working with refugee resettlement and a close family friend runs an immigration law firm. That friend invited John’s family to a Thanksgiving potluck for a family seeking asylum at a local church a couple of years ago, and the event helped shape the passion John now has for serving immigrants.
“I walked in, you know, there's platters of food, everybody's talking and laughing. It really felt like a supportive community. Immigration previously had felt kind of broad —governmental policies, numbers — and then after that it was really humanizing. It’s people. It's a family. They have a story. And it's possible to help them, even if it's just small ways like bringing food.” Or in John’s case, by building beds.
When brainstorming ideas for his Eagle Scout project, John’s mother recommended he talk to his former second-grade teacher who currently works with Bed Brigade in Columbus. Bed Brigade works to build beds for people in Columbus who need one, and John was able to use their bed design and expertise to aid his efforts in building beds for CRIS.
“It’s people. It’s a family. They have a story.”
John was among nine students who started the Refugee and Immigration Service Club at Bexley High School. The group discusses current issues, invites speakers to share their immigration experiences, tries different ethnic foods, and has hosted a drive to collect resettlement items. He turned to his high school community to help provide materials, bedding, and labor to complete his Eagle Scout project. Together they raised $4,600 and built 40 beds in roughly 2 hours with 71 different donors and 15 volunteers.
One of the most rewarding parts for John was delivering the beds to people’s homes with his family’s help. “It was great to be able to actually provide the beds for them, see their reactions, and be able to welcome them and interact with them […] I've learned a lot, even as I'm just doing this. It's not something that I know a lot about, even now. It's definitely been a learning process for all of us.” After graduation, he plans to stay involved in immigration and resettlement as time allows. If possible he would like to pursue ESL tutoring.
“Eagle Scout John,” as CRIS staff have come to call him, created a project that was helpful to both CRIS clients and our staff, assisting with the move-in work himself and providing free beds and bedding that would normally constitute a significant expense from a family’s resettlement grant. Our team is excited to see where his passion and work ethic lead him next!
