BOISE, Idaho — The body of 21-year-old refugee Patrick Bunguke was found Saturday night at Quinn's Pond, where he had drowned a few days before.
Danny Abedi, a mutual family friend of Bunguke, said that seeing Patrick go is hard. Abedi came to the U.S. as a refugee from Uganda six years ago, and was granted citizenship last year.
Abedi said that Bunguke was just like him: motivated, full of energy, and ready to take every opportunity presented to him.
"He wanted to do great, he wanted to do better, he wanted to achieve his dreams, you know?" Abedi said. "He's given an opportunity - now he's not here with us - he's gone."
The YMCA and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) teamed up two years ago after the drowning of a 15-year-old boy - also a refugee.
The IRC and YMCA's program is called RISE Together. It's aimed at teaching refugee youth ages 4 to 18 how to swim.
In the summer, instructors go to four pools around the Treasure Valley, and in the fall, they shuttle them to the indoor pool downtown to swim.
Bunguke exceeded the age threshold for RISE Together, but the YMCA executive director at the downtown Boise location, Dave Morris, says they will teach anyone - of any age - how to swim.
"You're never too old to learn how to swim - we've taught 80-year-olds how to swim," Morris said. "Our goal is to get everyone in the water and just help them feel comfortable, safe, and secure."
The YMCA also offers financial assistance for their swim programs, as well as a free three-month membership exclusive to refugees staying in the Treasure Valley.
A spokesperson from Agency for New Americans told KTVB that Patrick Bunguke was a refugee who began his life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by a period of time in Uganda as a refugee, before relocating to Boise.
"Any assistance and support towards [Patrick's] burial is much needed as the newly resettled family struggles to cope with this unexpected trying time," Bunguke's family said in the description of their GoFundMe page, The Burial of Patrick Bunguke.