So a friend of a friend called Ali up and surprised him by saying  that a summer camp in Vermont was offering the soccer team four days in the Vermont hills for free, a wonderful gesture that got Ali to call me the first thing in the morning.

Of course, it wasn’t free, or Ali would not have been calling me so early in the morning. Even before we met, I guessed we would need food for 18 team players, boat fees, blankets, towels, bug spray, candles, etc.

Doing this work with the refugees, I’ve learned that nothing is free, even things are free. These kids have nothing, so when it comes to travel, they need everything.

Ali hates to ask for money, and always apologizes, but he said it would be a wonderful time for the boys, the camp was offering a large cabin that could sleep virtually the entire team. The cabin is next to a beautiful lake where boats can be rented for  $35 a day.

I knew what came next and told Ali not to feel embarrassed about asking for money for this trip. He showed up with Klue Thaw, left, who is 13, and Ethaw, 14. These kids are stuck in their Albany apartments all summer unless Ali comes to spring them.

The soccer team is their world and their community, especially when there is no school. Ethaw lost his father in Thailand before they came to America.

Often, they just ride with him as he goes to work or  drives refugees and immigrants around Albany. They were very excited about the Vermont opportunity, they wanted to come and see me to tell me.

Ali and I sat down. We went online and checked out boat fees. We realized we needed to get blankets for the kids to sleep on – the cabins were mostly emptied out after camp ended. We need four days of groceries, for three meals a day, for 20 people, including adults and supervisors.

(Ali is way too smart and experienced to take all these kids into the woods by themselves without a lot of supervision, nice as they are.) We added up all the things we might need, from food to bug spray and I wrote him a check from the refugee fund for $550.

We have the funds, i don’t need to fund raise. I will use my own money if he needs more, but we both are confident he won’t.

Ali had all kinds of economies, but truthfully, this is the minimum cost to ensure healthy eating, recreation, blankets and towels.

There won’t be anything left over. Our emergency planning meeting last an hour. Ali told me that Said, the Iraqi businessmen who needed help finding an apartment, has asked us to visit him next week, it sounds like he may need some help.

The wheel turns and turns. As always, thanks for your support.

The great news is that tomorrow, Ali and the soccer team will head to Vermont with the food and supplies they need for four days, thanks to a generous woman from Vermont. Ali promises to come back with some photos.