(Santa Wezago, that is)

Not all of us at UU St. Pete know that our Social Justice Group has been looking after two Congolese families who sought asylum here in the U.S. One of these families is Santa Wezago and her four children: Aaliyah, Erisa, Gabriella and Divine. Santa arrived in Saint Petersburg with her eldest daughter Aaliyah in late 2015. The three younger children had been sent for their safety to relatives in France. With our help, the three younger children were recently admitted to the U.S. and now live with Santa.

Santa, a young woman in her thirties, has accomplished so much since she arrived. She got a degree Medical Administration at night while working at Publix during the day and is now working full-time in Patient Registration at Diagnostic Clinic in Clearwater.  Like mother, like daughter:  Aaliyah graduated last year from St. Pete High and now attends St. Pete College while working full-time at Bay Care in Clearwater.

Santa’s family needs some help because life has become very hectic. They were recently able to buy one car for Santa’s commute to work. Santa also drives Aaliyah to and from her job but their hours don’t coincide, and Santa spends a lot of time in the early evening waiting for Aaliyah to finish work when she could be at home with the younger children, who need her, too.

Does anyone in the congregation know of a car that could be donated to UU St. Pete? The donor would receive a tax deduction for a charitable donation, and we could make the car available to Santa’s family. A gift like this would mean so much to Santa and her children, and we could feel as if we had helped their family is a really big way. Please email Barbara Archibald at archibaldmail@gmail.com for more information.  And thank you!