Since last October, more than 2,700 refugees have migrated to Ohio from 41 countries, according to federal statistics. Many of those refugees are children who have come here with their families to seek a new beginning from countries that are struggling with war, poverty and other challenges. A youth-centered organization in Cleveland is doing its part to make the transition to America comfortable for children of refugees and their families.

Corner 65 is a newcomer – a youth-led program designed to encourage creativity, community engagement and wellness. The camp operates out of Re:Source Cleveland, located at 2054 W. 47th St. The program allows youth to actively take part in planning day-to-day activities while fostering a sense of community amongst their peers.

Getting the ball rolling

Becky Trout Ashenfelter, the visionary behind Corner 65, moved to Ohio 13 years ago with the hopes of beginning a new life for herself.

“I moved to Ohio in the summer of 2011 and was working as a volunteer for a soccer camp. At that time, I was finding my way and trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life.” Trout Ashenfelter said.

At the camp, Trout Ashenfelter met a little girl from Liberia. After doing a deep dive into the history of the country, she became increasingly curious. 

“That was the first time I had really heard about Liberia, and it made me wonder what’s her story and how did she and her family get here?” 

“So we were wrapping up practice one day and I told the girl if she brought some friends with her to practice tomorrow, I would give her a popsicle. She came back the next day with 38 of her friends and cousins.”

It was at that moment that Trout Ashenfelter realized there were many children who didn’t have a safe, comfortable place to pursue extracurricular activities.

 “The kids would say to me that they have this activity at their school, but they didn’t want to sign up there because there were other kids telling them to ‘go back to Africa.’ They felt accepted here.”

After that day, Trout Ashenfelter knew that something needed to be done and she was the person best suited for the job.

Expanding the corner

As weeks went by, more and more children began to participate in the camp. Trout Ashenfelter knew the program needed to grow.

At almost the same time, Patrick Kearns, executive director of what is now called Re:Source Cleveland, was working with Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to create a summer camp. 

“My wife and I lived in Thailand and Myanmar for about 10 years, working in refugee camps. In 2016 we moved back to the states, where I accepted the executive director position with Re: Source Cleveland,” Kearns said.

Kearns discovered Trout Ashenfelter and Corner 65 operating out of a local church in his neighborhood.

“We noticed Becky spearheading the program, so that put her on our radar. They were running a lot of soccer programming, and we were looking at some sort of collaboration running a summer camp for CMSD. That summer we worked together with them to roll out official summer programming.”

Their first year of collaboration was a success. With the help of Re:Source Cleveland, Corner 65 was able to expand services, staff and facilities and help with other miscellaneous costs. 

“Collaborating with Corner 65 was one of the best decisions I’ve made since being here.” Kearns said.

From camper to counselor

Odancy Nsengiyumva, 17, moved from Uganda to Cleveland with his family in 2017. He didn’t know anyone. 

“When we first came here, we didn’t go anywhere because we didn’t know anyone. I barely spoke English. I would just go to school and come straight back home every day,” Nsengiyumva said.

When he was 12 years old, he attended Corner 65 for the first time for tutoring. He didn’t have an easy time making friends when he arrived in Cleveland, but that changed once he began to attend the camp. With a love for soccer, Nsengiyumva was excited to learn that the program had a soccer team. 

“When Becky announced that we would have the chance to play real games, I was very excited. I would always play with my brothers or friends, but never an official game. In the first game we played, I scored a hat-trick!”

Although he doesn’t play soccer for Corner 65 anymore, he is still very much involved with the camp as a volunteer. He encourages anyone who may be migrating to America to come to Corner 65 for assistance getting comfortable.

“The people that are coming are going to need connections. If you are not an outgoing person, it won’t be easy. This is a place you can come and meet people that are similar to us. Come play, have fun and make friends.”

Taking the corner to the next level

This summer alone, Corner 65 has served approximately 185 students from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan and 11 other countries. Trout Ashenfelter remains eager to continue to serve her community while giving the students opportunities to explore different avenues.

“Being able to give students like Odancy a leadership role and watching the kids value his voice and coaching, while watching him grow as a person, has been priceless,” Trout Ashenfelter said.

Corner 65 and Re:Source Cleveland believe that with the continued support of the community, the camp can grow into something bigger than they ever dreamed of. They encourage the community to come out to the camp, volunteer or donate.

My colleague, Michael Indriolo, introduced me to Corner 65. He has spent the last few months documenting his time at the camp through photos. Check out his work, here.