Activist Spotlight: Matthew Tikhonovsky
Hailed as the most diverse square mile in America, Clarkston, GA has opened its doors to over 35,000 refugees from every corner of the world over the past 30 years. But resettling refugees is no easy task. It takes a dynamic network of refugee resettlement agencies, nonprofit caseworkers, and countless volunteers. One such volunteer is Matthew Tikhonovsky.
An Atlanta teenager whose parents are Ukrainian refugees, Matthew has spent the past five years rallying his peers behind the refugee community in Clarkston, GA, and Kiev, Ukraine. After learning that many newly-resettled refugees lacked basic clothing items, Matthew launched in 2015 Refugee Thrive, a service initiative that collects and provides clothing items to refugee families.
To date, his initiative has provided almost 10,000 clothing items to refugees living in Clarkston, GA, and Kiev, Ukraine. He’s held over 30 clothing drives at local high schools, and he’s mobilized hundreds of teenagers across the Atlanta-area to support refugees.
“I’m really lucky to have never struggled to get other students to support my initiative,” Matthew said. “But it’s not because I’ve done anything special. Instead, I just think most young people share my passion for service and my support for refugees — that’s really allowed me to make an impact.”
And Refugee Thrive has certainly made an impact. In December, Matthew’s clothing distribution event, held at Clarkston Elementary School, provided over 80 refugee families with winter clothing and shoes and toy gifts. Meanwhile, he also shipped over 200 pounds of clothing to a refugee camp in Ukraine.
Reflecting on the clothing distribution event, Matthew recalled, “It was amazing seeing the looks on the kids’ faces when they got their presents. I’m glad I was able to help make their holiday season special, and I’m looking forward to doing something similar again this year.”
Matthew’s clothing drive initiative has been put on pause by COVID-19, but he has stayed engaged with the Clarkston community by virtually tutoring a pair of refugee siblings.
“We video chat twice a week,” Matthew said, “and I’m able to help with their English assignments and math homework. Virtual tutoring can be difficult at times,” he added, “but I’m glad I can help them stay on track with their school.”
Although Matthew remains humble about the impact he has made, his advocacy work has received national acclaim over the years. T-Mobile and the Clinton Global Initiative Social Venture Challenge have both recognized the refugee awareness campaign he founded. But for Matthew, recognition was never the goal.
“Through my community service, my sole mission has always been to support refugees and immigrants, just like people did to my parents three decades ago when they came to America.”
