Five or six years ago, Ali (Amjad Abdulla) decided to take some of the new refugee children coming into Albany under his wing. Some of the kids had lost their fathers, or had to leave them behind.  Most had single working mothers who worked long hours in low paying jobs. Some were struggling acclimate to an urban environment, had no activities or friends outside of school, and some, he though were going to get in trouble.

So he started the soccer team with his own time and  money, relying on the big white vans of RISSE, the refugee and immigrant support center in Albany. RISSE did not and could not sponsor the team, some of the kids wore flip-flops to practice, and were up against wealthy suburban American teams whose parents paid for snappy uniforms, imported sneakers, and strong coaching and conditioning staffs.

In the home countries of most of these kids – Asia, Africa, the Middle East – soccer was mostly about going out in the back yard and kicking a wound ball. There were no uniforms, sneakers, expensive tournament and league costs. The kids have diverse interests and languages and attitudes, but one thing united all of them – a love of soccer.

And one another thing – severe trauma, the hallmark of the refugee in our time. They all had horror stories to tell, and rarely told them or spoke of them.

So Ali took on this cause, he gathered these children and formed a nameless soccer team, he begged and borrowed money to pay for playing fees and scrounged up T-shirts and shorts for uniforms. He used the RISSE vans when he could, which was not all of the time. He is famously devoted to these kids, is a father to many, and a guide and  inspiration. He loves them dearly and defends them ferociously.

Just ask an opposing coach who made racist comments to some of the players at a soccer tournament, Ali came roaring out at the coach like a lion, and we had to guide him outside until he cooled off. The coach, ashen, apologized. Ali is a gentle man, but I wouldn’t want to mess with those kids.

A year or so, Ali met me, and we sort of fell in love with one another, we felt like brothers and became friends.

We had the same idea, how would we helped these kids, they had come a long way, but still faced enormous problems, from taunting at school as immigration becomes a political issue to be exploited, to struggles with fees, clothes and  transportation. We have little patience for bureaucracy or red tape, we move quickly and are effective.

It is the most satisfying and important work of my life, and I am proud to work with Ali, a man of great heart and conscience.

I introduced Ali and the soccer team to the Army Of Good, and them to it. The rest is a happy history. We got new  uniforms for the players, which they designed. We got a merchant to donate sneakers.

We paid for tournament fees so they could practice all winter, like their opponents. We paid practice fees to a local gym. We got clothes to the players who needed them, art supplies to those with artistic tendencies, we bought dinners at Asian restaurant buffets to celebrate victories, and paid for retreats so the players could get out of the city on weekends and talk to one another and cement their relationships.

We made it possible for these children to see Star Wars, and the Black Panther, and go to amusement parks and trips and boat rides. We hope to offer them balanced lives, strengthen their confidence and sense of community.

Through these children, we met needy parents and brought them groceries, clothes for their kids, helped with security deposits and some car insurance fees so the mothers could be mobile and find work. We sent them to the Great Escape Amusement Park (I hope to do that again this year).

The biggest headache for Ali, who is available to these kids every day of the week, was transportation. The RISSE vans were busy, they had many uses, and it was never certain when they might be available. Ali was limited in the places he could take these kids in vans operated by RISSE.

I can see that Ali has done a remarkable job with these soccer players, most of whom are men (the women players do not like to be photographed or play too often or travel with boys). They are courteous, empathetic and disciplined. They stay away from trouble, are working hard at school, and are devoted to the teamwork and community involved in a soccer team. And they are devoted to Ali, who they all call “Mr. Ali,” and to one another.

So last week, another way to support these children and their lives. I gave Ali enough money for a first down payment on a 2006 Odyssey van. I need to say I gave him $2,500 of my own money, I did not fund raise for it because it needed to be purchased quickly and I don’t spent any money on anything major that I haven’t disclosed or sought.

I didn’t have time to ask for support. I do not normally disclose donations of my own money, I needed to do it this time. I don’t make large expenditures without sharing the need.

I don’t want or seek any money for the van, it is something I really wanted to do. I’m proud to do this.  It feels better than good.

There were two additional payments of $500 each and I gave Ali a check for the last payment today. The van is his and theirs.

it is in the photograph above. It is in great shape with new tires.

We will use it this coming week to bring groceries to one of the families of a soccer player, they are struggling. We will also  use it to go to our first tutoring class, six of the players need English-As-A-Second Language (ELS) tutoring and I’ve located a tutor who is experienced in that field and eager to work with these kids.

it will also go to regular soccer practice and soon, official games. The team is well equipped. Next week, I’ll deliver the T-shirts and headbands I bought for them.

She will meet them all this coming Wednesday and we will figure out how to proceed.

The van will be used to help other refugees in need, not just the soccer team. But we will choose wisely and carefully. We can’t help everyone, and we can’t help anyone all of the time.

We help where there is no other help available, and where it makes a difference. We commit small acts of great kindness, thoughtfully and cautiously.

It will give Ali and me the chance to work together to provide limited and bounded support – help with groceries, deposits, license fees, some clothes – to refugees in particular need. Like Saad, a Syrian refugee who worked with the United States Embassy during the war and has been targeted by religious extremists and had to flee.

He needed $400 to pay a deposit fee for an apartment in a senior citizen building. He was desperate. We will help him get  settled and on his feet.

The van is liberating, it marks a new chapter in this very worthwhile cause and gives us much flexibility.

I thank so many of your for your support, without which we could offer very little help. I see that many refugees come out of camps and traumas and disasters and are essentially abandoned her with little support. And what support there was is being curtailed and eliminated.

The hate campaign against refugees is hateful and painful to me, I deal with this awful turn in our culture by trying to do some good every day, rather than argue and hate.

So thank you for helping me preserve what I believe is the true soul of our country.

You can support this work by sending a contribution to The Gus Fund, c/o Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816 or via Paypal, [email protected]. We have about $1,600 in the fund that supports the refugee and Mansion work. Every penny of it will go to support the refugees and the Mansion residents, and if you have a preference, please state it on your check.

My Army Of Good account is audited every month by a bookkeeper and a certified account from New York City. Every penny goes where it is supposed to go.