Help Our Emily Go to School

I (Erin Penner) am raising tuition funds for our sparkling little 4-year old student, Emily, so that she may continue her 2nd year of schooling in the US and be fluent in English after being detained with her mother at our country’s border. 

Emiliana (Emily’s mother) came to our countryseeking asylum with her then 2-year old Emily in late 2017. When they arrived at our border, they were held in an unsanitary, freezing cold detention facility for many days as Emily caught a respiratory illness. Emily has since recovered physically, but the pair will always carry the trauma they endured. 

Emily today is a bright and absolutely remarkable 4-year old girl. To say she is a joy to be around is an understatement. She benefitted so immensely from her first year of preschool with me that was tragically cut short due to the pandemic. During this time, she even dealt with her appendix bursting on top of isolated from her friends, teacher, and losing her English skills as she was just weeks away from being completely fluent. 

My outdoor school, Inspired Little Activists (iLA), has a strong focus on empathy, community, humanitarianism and environmental & social activism. Emily flourished with our program immediately. 

Emily is an incredibly smart, strong, artistic light and source of inspiration in our world and she quickly changed all of our lives the day she entered them (and especially mine!)  My goal is to raise her tuition for the second year with the help of our amazing community so that she may have the education, socialization, and endless supply of hugs that she needs and deserves and her mother can continue to have a wonderful, caring network of families in her life as well.