HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Robby Keilig, of Hampton, remembered how upset he was when watching videos of Russian tanks enter Ukraine.
He felt like donating money and sharing social media posts was not enough wanting to find a different way to help. In late 2022, he signed himself up on Welcome Connect, getting him in touch with refugees coming to our region for safety.
“To me, this was a place where I could see myself having friends, or I could have seen myself visiting or on vacation,” Keilig said. “If I wasn’t going to do something to help them out, then nobody would care on the flip side if the same thing were to happen to me.”
He was equipped to provide emergency housing, but his main purpose is to help them get settled in. One of the couples he’s currently helping are Valeriia and Stanislav. This involved helping them look for jobs, figuring out how to pay utilities and haggle the price of a used car anything to get them used to life in a foreign country.
He also took the time to show them fun things to do around town, like try new restaurants or show them nearby parks and attractions.
“They don’t know anyone or have anyone to show them what the fun things to do in the area are, or even the practical things like going to the doctor or going to the bank,” Keilig said. “I would feel embarrassed if I sponsored them to come to America and had them bored out of their minds.”
While some of the people he sponsored have stayed in Hampton Roads, others have moved to different states. Some even had to go back to Europe to be closer to their own families.
“They just miss their families and have to weight the risks and benefits,” he said.
Keilig said his family hosted many exchange students while growing up, so — to him — this felt like a natural way to help out. He has hosted and helped 12 Ukrainian refugees so far, and said he has no intention of stopping any time soon.