Above are Jehuu Caulcrick, left, and Bill Burk, the Lakewood native/author who will talk about the book he authored on the former Clymer Central School, Michigan State and Buffalo Bills football player. Submitted photo

Refugees and immigrants are such an integral part of America’s past and present. Many Americans cannot go too far back in their ancestry without having to trace their lineage back to another country.

Jehuu Caulcrick is a modern-day example of an immigrant who made his way to Chautauqua County and went on to do great things in his community. From star high school athlete, to being named Western New York’s Player of the Year, to coming home after his NFL career to coach at Southwestern Central School for almost five years, Caulcrick made significant contributions to high school sports in the region.

Proving that immigration is also vital to the future, the New Neighbors Coalition continues to welcome new arrivals locally, and it wants to take this opportunity to feature prominent immigrants that all of Western New York can get passionate about — the Buffalo Bills.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the community is invited to the St. Luke’s Undercroft (410 N. Main St., accessible via the Fourth and Main Street doors) for a New Neighbors Coalition-led conversation with local author Bill Burk, featuring the story of his book profiling Caulcrick and his journey from his home in Liberia to the Buffalo Bills, via Chautauqua County. Refreshments will be served. After the discussion, guests are invited to make their way over to the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame. Burk’s book will be available for purchase with an opportunity to get it signed by the author.

Burk frames the story simply, “When he was 7 years old Jehuu Caulcrick walked the Liberian coast with his family, passing through checkpoints armed with child soldiers not much older than him, blank faces, teeth yellowed by jungle-juice and heroin, AK-47s hanging off gaunt bodies. It was 1990, the middle of the country’s second civil war in 10 years. He walked for nearly 700 miles, until he was 9 years old. When he was 27 years old Jehuu carried a football for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL for 1 yard and a first down, his only carry in a five-year nomadic career as a professional football player. In between, a lot happened.”

The United States is often thought of as the land brimming with opportunity, and the luck of displaced people to come here, but the community is incredibly fortunate to have had Jehuu end up in its little corner of the state. Join the New Neighbors Coalition, in partnership with Bill Burk and the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame to learn more about how he got here.

For general inquiry and to stay connected, follow www.facebook.com/NewNeighborsCoalition, email Momina Di Blasio at momina@stlukesjamestown.org or call the St. Luke’s office at 716-483-6405.