Dec. 20—EDITOR’S NOTE — The following is part of an ongoing series of stories about Grand Forks residents who volunteer in the community.
GRAND FORKS — For Seth Mlodozyniec, helping out Grand Forks’ newest arrivals is a matter of faith.
“Walking my faith, being a Christian, has shown me the community and the beauty of helping people, and that’s also kind of what led me to Global Friends,” Mlodozyniec said.
The 21-year-old native of Wrenshall, Minnesota, has volunteered for Grand Forks’ refugee resettlement provider since July.
He works on an on-call basis, picking up donated furniture for the nonprofit and transporting it to storage or helping to move it into new arrivals’ homes so those families can come home to furnished living space.
As Grand Forks’ reception and placement program, Global Friends is charged with securing and furnishing living arrangements for refugees arriving in the city, a task that falls to the nonprofit’s small staff.
By Mlodozyniec’s count, he’s helped move 10 to 15 families into housing over the last five-and-a-half months.
“He’s a strong man, so whenever we need an apartment set up or picking up donations, we always ask him,” said Wei Lin, Global Friends’ resettlement case manager.
Mlodozyniec describes himself, tongue-in-cheek, as a “moving specialist.”
Cynthia Shabb, Global Friends’ executive director, nominated Mlodozyniec for a Herald profile because he stood out as a young man in a volunteer scene that trends older and female.
Mlodozyniec, who previously studied at UND, came to Global Friends by way of another volunteering gig at Ember Coffeehouse, the volunteer-run coffee shop owned by Freedom Church.
Two Global Friends’ staff members he knew from his faith community introduced him to the resettlement provider.
“I’m just someone who likes to work and get my hands dirty, so I’d told them I’d be willing to help move furniture a couple times,” he said. “And then I realized the impact it was making on the families, and I really immersed myself in it.”
Kaitlyn Berg, Global Friends’ client service coordinator and one of the people who introduced Mlodozyniec to the program, says he essentially volunteered himself.
“He just likes to serve people,” observed Berg. “He does that a lot for his friends or people he doesn’t really know at all. He’s always willing to help with anything.”
Mlodozyniec though, is headed to another calling, at least for a little while: he’s joined the Air National Guard, and is set to ship out for basic training in San Antonio just before the end of the year.
He says his desire to serve his country comes from the same place as helping Grand Forks’ refugees.
“One of the core values of the military is service over self, serving for a greater purpose,” he said. “And I’ve kind of implemented that in everything I do.”
He said he plans to return to Grand Forks after he’s completed basic and technical school and re-enroll at UND, as well as return to his work at Global Friends.
He’s also trying to recruit some of his friends to take over his work while he’s gone.
“I’ve had some friends come with me to help volunteer, and I’m hoping they’ll find a love for it like I have,” Mlodozyniec said.