Leah Rubenstein at a Hello Neighbor potluck event. (Photo by Tracy Certo)

By Elizabeth Kolln, Pittsburgh Tomorrow

The pandemic shrunk Leah Rubenstein’s world as it did for many. She went from living a vibrant, connected life to a sheltered, quiet existence, trading her bustling, downtown PNC office for her home office in the South Hills.

As COVID-19 waned, and pandemic routines became the norm, Leah couldn’t shake feeling isolated and cut off from the world. Luckily, a friend intervened. “You’ve been sitting in your house for too long afraid of the pandemic,” she said. “The world is changing, and so is Pittsburgh. I have an idea.”

She introduced Leah to Hello Neighbor, a nonprofit founded in 2017 that works to help refugees in Pittsburgh by matching them with dedicated neighbors or “mentors” to guide and support them in their new lives.

After signing up for an eight-month commitment, and completing a half-day of training, Leah became a mentor, paired with a recent Ethiopian immigrant who was around her own adult daughter’s age.

“It wasn’t totally easy at first,” says Leah. “I was an empty nester, and she had a young, energetic son. So, we needed to find things that the three of us could do together, which ended up being frequent, hour-long meetings at local playgrounds.”

Eventually, playground meetups turned into Sunday night dinners, holiday celebrations and a blowout birthday party celebrating their own, just two days apart.

At a Hello Neighbor picnic, Lea Rubenstein poses with a family from Colombia now living in Colorado. (Photo by Tracy Certo)

Leah recalls the first time she sent her mentee home with leftovers after hosting her for dinner in the South Hills. “Sending someone home with food was something of a tradition of Ethiopia. That small gesture made my mentee feel like she was home.”

Their relationship blossomed and they continued to share meals and moments, exchanging stories of their lives, from Ethiopia to Pittsburgh and everywhere in between. Leah’s mentee eventually moved to Sacramento to be closer to a larger Ethiopian population although the two keep in touch. They talk on the phone and update each other on life’s milestones: Leah now has a grandchild, and her mentee’s son has since started school.

“It was easy for me to welcome my mentee to Pittsburgh, but it took time and introspection for me to grow my cultural sensitivity and the respect and admiration I had for those who – by choice or circumstance – bravely start a new life in a different country,” Leah says. “I quickly learned that I wanted to do more. The whole experience changed me.”

After a 40-year career at PNC, Leah felt ready to transition from her full-time job, although she never expected her second act to start back at square one. 

“I saw that Hello Neighbor had internship opportunities,” Leah says. “I really wanted to learn more and make a difference to people who were new to this country and to Pittsburgh. So, I took a leap, and asked if Hello Neighbor interns had to be students.”

They didn’t. So, following her retirement in 2022 as a high-level executive at a major bank, Leah became an intern.

“I was a little nervous,” she recalls. “But I knew that if I left my ego at the door, I would learn a lot and gain the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a family adjusting to a new life in a new country.”

While she was learning the ropes as an intern, Hello Neighbor was becoming an official refugee resettlement organization, the fifth in the region. It accelerated their mission, allowing them to service more people and provide more services than ever.

When Leah’s internship ended in September 2022, Hello Neighbor wrote a new job description with her in mind: refugee resettlement case assistant.

“I’ve had this new title for about a year now, and every day has been so rewarding,” Leah says. “Honestly though, I’m not sure that many people would want to be an intern coming from a senior vice president role. You have to say to yourself, ‘I don’t know anything, and I’m open to learning.’”

Leah Rubenstein (left) with Sloane Davidson, executive director of Hello Neighbor. (Photo by Tracy Certo)

Typically, Leah works around 20 hours a week and spends Wednesday nights at Hello Neighbor, helping clients pay bills, secure utilities relief and learn to send mail. In her tenure, she has organized events with a local bank to help refugee families open their first U.S. bank account and helped host Hello Neighbor’s annual picnic. She regularly scopes out housing for incoming refugees, works with recent arrivals as they craft their resumes and coordinates shopping trips to Goodwill. 

“One client of ours, Mr. P., who was in his late 40s or early 50s, started bringing in mail every Wednesday for us to read together and action,” Leah says. “He wanted to learn to do it on his own, so we practiced together for three months, until he was able to write all his own checks, go to the post office for stamps, mail his letters and pay his bills. Today, I never get to see him!”

That rewarding experience is one of many. “I love interfacing with our clients and my fellow staffers,” Leah says. “I’ve just learned so much. In fact, I can remember how it felt meeting my fellow intern on my first day. She was in her early 20s, typical of most interns. And she was absolutely unfazed to meet me, her much older colleague. She welcomed me immediately and made me feel right at home – like I belonged. Which is really the whole point for Hello Neighbor.”

The best part is seeing how the families grow and learn to thrive here, she says. “These families move to Pittsburgh with nothing, and throughout it all, they are so resilient. We often find that within a year, they are so much better off. It’s inspiring.

“After they find community, things click. The children become acclimated to school, the parents – either one, or both – go to work and they begin to establish connections with families in similar situations – and develop ties to our city.”

In 2022 and 2023, the organization welcomed over 400 immigrants and refugees from 35 countries. This year alone, they will welcome 400 new neighbors. If they had more capacity, they would be able to provide services to even more.

Volunteers are needed more than ever, and there are so many opportunities, says Leah. “The mentorship program that Hello Neighbor runs is truly amazing. You have the support of a dedicated nonprofit behind you every step of the way as you positively influence the life of a newly arrived family, while getting the rare and unique opportunity to grow and transform yourself.”

Check out volunteer opportunities on their website.

(A New Jersey native, Elizabeth Kolln spent nearly a decade working in New York City and is new to Pittsburgh. She is chief of staff at Pittsburgh Tomorrow and can be reached at Lizzie@pittsburghtomorrow.org) 

This story is part of The New Americans, a project of Pittsburgh Tomorrow, which seeks to reverse population loss through revitalization. See more stories here.