Eight-year-old Altaf Muhammad Hussain is one of the six children who received a surprise Monday morning... new bicycles!
Altaf's older brother, Ejaz, says the family arrived in Buffalo eleven months ago from Afghanistan.
"It's a very good city," Ejaz said. "We like the weather, we like the people and we like everything."
Ejaz said his family fled from their home country because of war and to protect themselves.
M&T bank donated bikes to Altaf and five other children whose families have settled in Buffalo. The kids come from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Sudan and Nepal.
M&T built the bikes during a team building event and then had the bikes checked out to make sure they were ready for the kids to ride.
"These children have come through so much adversity and it was really our pleasure giving something to them and to support the really important refugee community of Buffalo," Laura O'Hara, M&T Bank General Council, said.
The bikes were donated to Journey's End Refugee Services, which provides resettlement services to families arriving in western New York.
If you are looking to donate to Journey's End, it is looking for:
- gently used home goods and clothing,
- financial donations and
- volunteers.
For more information about Journey's End,click here.
