Harvey man sees positive changes ahead in rural areas | News, sports, jobs

Derrick Gross

HARVEY – Derrick Gross, current director of Harvey Public Schools, accepted the position of executive director at the nonprofit Communities Acting Together for Change and Hope, which aims to help immigrant refugees find peace in North Dakota.

He happened upon the opening of the executive director position for CATCH while reading rural newspapers. The ad said they were looking for someone from a rural community who had experience and ties to small communities.

CATCH is intended to help immigrant refugee families to North Dakota from countries experiencing unrest such as Ukraine, Haiti and Cuba.

After spending more than two decades in the school system, Gross decided he wanted to help North Dakota communities in a different way.

“I had a great chat with Bill Patrie, one on one, and he gave me his thoughts on where they were and where they were going,” Gross said of CATCH’s vice president.

He spoke to his family, asked for their input and he “went for it.”

The duties associated with the position of Executive Director include, but are not limited to, developing a budget, such as salaries and mileage, pursuing grants, and figuring out what fees CATCH would charge for services and resources to help other families within to get.

As he completes the school year at Harvey Public Schools, he becomes increasingly familiar with CATCH and helps the board of directors gather the information they need to share and pool their thoughts. He plans to come up with a strategic plan for the organization to achieve and put together a separate plan to bring the former to fruition.

“It fits well,” Gross said of his new position. “I have spent over twenty years in education, with experience in educational administration, a recruiter in the Marines and a small business owner.”

Part of working with CATCH is making sure the organization and communities are ready to bring in families. They must also ensure that families have the sponsors and support they need to navigate the process.

“We need the support of the community and want the immigration process to be successful.” Gross said.

However, the process is not a one-on-one process. There are different classifications that the families can fall under. It may take longer to get a work permit and get them into healthcare.

“We need a larger group to support them in the first few months as they learn English and adjust to American and North Dakotan culture,” Gross said. “That can be done with a network at school or in churches.”

Medical professionals have come to North Dakota and work in nursing homes and hospital laboratories. Teachers have emigrated and filled the positions that the schools were so eager to fill.

Some people come seasonally as farm laborers. Winter in Africa is from June to September, so workers come to work in North Dakota during the summers during that time.

“They want to know what is there and what is happening. (North Dakotans are) learning that there is so much happening when it comes to pushing non-native North Dakotans to take on some of the positions and needs that we cannot fulfill ourselves. They reach out to communities to fill in schools and churches, and they help pick up “help wanted” signs. Business owners can remove them because they found someone who helps them day in and day out,” Gross said.

“I love small communities, and I hate to see them wither and fade away. I believe in what (CATCH is doing) and what they want to do, but it’s really an opportunity to help someone build from the ground up.”