Amy Shawgo – EM Resident Spotlight

Eagle Mountain Family Develops Lifelong Friendships With Area Refugees

Posted by Misty Liu | Apr 20, 2016 Local mother Amy Shawgo was frustrated. It was almost Christmas and she was not feeling it. The mother of nine was irritated because not only could she not compete with the materialistic demands of the consumer aspect of Christmas, she didn’t even want to try. Then, she remembered an old teacher from her days at Alta High School. Don Ward was retired and facing chemotherapy, but Don was not one to sit still. He had recently started posting on Facebook the needs of some refugees he had met working through the IRC in Salt Lake City. She scrolled through posts until she found what she wanted. Don has posted that there were several in need during the holiday season. She decided that her family would take their entire Christmas budget and spend it on two refugee families instead of themselves. At first, there was a bit of complaining. Well, maybe more than a bit. But, when the time finally came to deliver Christmas goodies to these families, everything changed. “One family–” she expained, “they were from Thailand. They were Christian, and all they wanted was a Christmas tree. We brought over the tree and decorations and lights and spent the evening decorating.” She tears up as she continues, “It was just–it’s hard to talk about it even now without getting a little emotional. Just watching some of the girls being shy around my boys and goofing around, just seeing how very joyful they were just to have a Christmas tree.” Another family they helped were from a refugee camp in Nepal. Driven out of their homes in Burma because of their race, they were forced onto boats and the boats were set adrift out to sea, where the people would be helpless and die of dehydration, starvation, or drowning, unless picked up by a neighboring country. Once picked up, they ended up in various refugee camps indefinitely. They told Amy and her family their story. It changed her, and her family. “Well, definitely, there is no more the feeling of entitlement from our kids. I mean, these refugees come with nothing. I remember one time these people from Uganda had arrived in October with nothing but shorts and t-shirts–not even shoes. We were handing out scarves and they were putting them on as fast as we could hand them out. It just makes you realize…it changes you.” Two years later, Amy and her family maintain a strong friendship with these families. “They are not what the news makes them look like,” continues Amy. “They are just like you and me.” “Yes, there are some cultural differences. Sometimes we are surprised by these differences, but it makes us deeper and better people.” She pauses thoughtfully, “Well, maybe the only real difference is how hard they work and how grateful and joyful they are and how far they can make $20 go.” Last Christmas, the Shawgo family helped a family from Burma. The mother and her seven children have lived here for a few years. Their father was killed before they came to America. This mother frames every single school certificate her children receive and hangs them proudly on the wall. The Christmas giving was just the beginning for the Shawgo family. They continue to raise awareness in their neighborhood of the needs of local refugees. They continue to help Don Ward in his efforts to feed and clothe and bring joy to those who need a hand up as they rebuild their lives in a foreign land. They have influenced other families to join them in sharing and helping. The refugees are always in need of bikes in good repair (that is the only way some of them can get to and from work when public transit does not run), coats, food, and other necessities, like buckets of cleaning supplies and sewing kits. Right now, as graduation nears, Don is looking for gift card donations as a congratulations to those refugees who have done the hard work to graduate high school. He is also looking for flip-flops of all sizes. He is working on seven projects at the moment: Collecting flip flops (Old Navy and WalMart usually have sales) Collecting diapers and baby wipes to give to refugees Collecting cards with $20 and a note congratulating refugees on graduating from high school Collecting used children’s toys Collecting bicycles in good working condition Collecting plastic buckets with cleaning supplies in them Collecting hygiene kits (bars of soap, tooth brushes and paste, shampoo, dish liquid combs and such items. The Shawgo family joins the Proctor family and Lee family in sharing rice, fruit, bubbles, sidewalk chalk and fun with a family from Uganda. If you are looking to develop friendships, Don hosts family nights, wherein your family brings some food, usually rice and fruit, to a refugee family and meet them. It’s fun and truly heart changing. If you feel moved, there is something you can do. Even if it’s just dropping off a few pair of Old Navy flip-flops at Amy’s house, or a bag of rice. There is something you can do right here in in Eagle Mountain to help those who suffer around us. “Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.” ― Mother Teresa – Author: Misty Liu Misty Liu moved to Eagle Mountain in 2008. she spent one of the best decades of her life living in Eagle Mountain and now resides in Orlando, Florida. She was first published in high school, and continues to be published in magazines, textbooks, online journals and blogs, and has been featured in Utah’s Deseret News. She currently chronicles her life at her blog, “When She Wakes“.