A BRIDGE TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Lori Consadori Lucchetti’s favorite example of the American spirit played out warmly after Winnetkan and philanthropist Ann Balusek read a Chicago Tribune feature about political refugee Ahlam Al-Jebory.

Al-Jebory had arrived in the Chicago area in 2008 following a harrowing ordeal in her native Iraq and later in Syria. She fled her country after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda for running a humanitarian aid center during the war in Iraq. As a refugee in Syria, Al- Jebory helped foreign journalists report the truth, set up a makeshift school for displaced girls, and served as the unofficial leader of the refugee community in Damascus.

Syrian authorities grew suspicious of the mother of three, before arresting her and imprisoning her for five months.

“Not long after Ahlam (now 58 and a resident of Skokie) settled as a newcomer here, Ann read all about her in the newspaper,” Lucchetti, a Glenview resident since 1988, recalls. “The piece chronicled all that Ahlam was doing to assist refugees near where she lived. A refugee helping refugees, here in America—Ann couldn’t believe it.

“She contacted Ahlam and said, ‘I want to help you.’”

Al-Jebory accepted the generous offer from Balusek, a board member of the Mammel Foundation.

Lucchetti later met Al-Jebory and the pair formed Glenview-based Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) in 2018. It’s a nonprofit organization supporting people of all faiths whose mission is to foster multicultural relationships by assisting in the integration of refugees into American society and educating communities on the challenges facing refugee populations through their stories.

It also provides food, clothing, furniture, and household items to newcomers.

BPB’s overriding approach is to bridge the hearts and minds of all people.

Lucchetti also serves at BPB’s president, while Al-Jebory is a tireless case manager for three of BPB’s current roster of 17 families. Countries of origin have included Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, and Burma. Many of the newcomers (political refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees) have resettled in Cook County.

“We seek to help refugee families thrive, not just survive,” says the 67-year-old Lucchetti, who majored in political science at Villanova University and worked for the commercial side of SC Johnson Wax in Racine, Wisconsin, for 10 years after a stint in political consultancy in Washington, D.C. “We partner with refugee resettlement agencies by bridging the gap between the refugees’ initial government support and newcomers gaining a sense of belonging and independence. We’re an organization with a lot of heart, advocating for social and economic justice for all refugees who enter the U.S.

“I’m proud of our community and what we stand for,” continues Lucchetti, adding BPB was modeled after the framework and values of the Mammel Foundation. “We work with churches, synagogues, mosques. We also work at a local level at being truly American, and that calms a newcomer family down.”

Al-Jebory, who became a U.S. citizen in 2013, is the courageous and resilient subject of the 2016 book A Disappearance in Damascus: Friendship and Survival in the Shadow of War, written by Deborah Campbell, a journalist who hired Al-Jebory to provide her with reliable information and contacts after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2007.

“I first met Ahlam when she was looking after a local child at a home while 12 of us were there for scripture study,” says Lucchetti, a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview. “Her story is remarkable and moving. She educated us; we then educated others. Ahlam and I connected and shared a vision before we created Building Peaceful Bridges. Ahlam is fearless, faith-oriented, and gracious. She makes things happen.

“We talk every other day.”

Lucchetti grew up on Long Island, New York, and at the age of five, all things NASA fascinated her, particularly the launches to space. So she wrote NASA one day, hoping to discover what it would take for her to become an astronaut.

“NASA wrote me back,” Lucchetti says. “I was thrilled about that, until I opened the letter and found out they didn’t take women.”

She attended Commack South High School, where she played the violin, served as Student Council treasurer, and competed in a number of sports, including field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and softball.

“You never forget your favorite coach,” Lucchetti says. “I remember Miss Locasto well. She coached volleyball, field hockey, and basketball. She was young and energetic, always eager to pump us up before every game.”

Lucchetti would become a coach herself, first for a kindergarten soccer team and then for a fourth-grade basketball squad. Marius, her son with husband Bob, suited up for both units. Marius is 24 years old and an Illinois State University graduate.

“I stressed fundamentals and teamwork as a coach, while being encouraging and compassionate,” Lucchetti says. She embodies those traits today—minus the coach’s whistle and sound game plans.

“Lori has such a big heart, as huge as the universe,” says Al-Jebory, whose daughter, Roqayah Mohammed, an Evanston Township High School graduate, is a BPB mentor and a member of the nonprofit’s Operations Department. “She calms me down, with her sweet voice and organizational skills.

“Lori,” she adds, “is a great leader.” BPB’s annual event, Gather for Good, takes place November 30, 6-9 p.m., at Libanais, a restaurant in Lincolnwood. Last year’s event raised more than $40,000 to support five Afghanistan families and initiated BPB’s Affordable Housing Fund.

“It’s been an amazing journey for all of us at Building Peaceful Bridges,” Lucchetti says. “We invite others to join us as we mark our fifth year. You’ll give a lot, but you’ll also get a lot in return because your life will change for the better as you’re changing the lives of our new neighbors for the better.”

For more information about BPB (1400 Patriot Boulevard, P.O. Box 535, Glenview, IL, 60026), visit buildingpeacefulbridges.org or call 847-773-7484.