Sally is an incredibly kind, thoughtful and generous person who has been a friend of our family, and an especially dear friend to my mother, since 2017. She is in the US with asylum, and for that reason has chosen to keep some details private. Her case is open and ongoing, and this fundraiser is to help pay for legal fees as well as other monthly bills that she has struggled to keep up with due to pandemic-related unemployment. Her son Ismael lives in Europe and they have not been able to see each other for nearly 9 years. We would like to help this family finally reunite and live together here in the US. Because of Sally's immigration status, she cannot leave the country to see her son. The best bet is for Ismael to get a visa that would allow him to visit and then move here, which takes time, money and unfathomable patience.

If you can afford to donate any amount, it will be deeply appreciated. We have set the initial goal at 5K, so that Sally can afford her legal fees, her home in Harlem, and fresh food to stay nourished and healthy while she continues to look for work and prepares for her immigration interview next year. Some of the money will also go towards covering the costs for Ismael's legal fees and (once a visa is granted) travel to the US.

Sally is multilingual and an experienced home health aide. She loved her job working at the airport in customer service, and she has also worked for years as a caregiver. While this is a fundraiser, I should mention that Sally is actively looking for work, so if you live in or near NYC and think you may have an appropriate job lead, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

Sally's Statement:

My name is Sally S. Hope and I am from West Africa. I arrived in the USA in 2014 as an Asylum seeker. I lived in New Jersey when I came and did many jobs there. To be able to learn English but also because I like to help people, I volunteered at Catholic Charities. I came to the USA alone but hope to reunite with my son who lives in Europe. After 2 years in New Jersey, I moved to New York and registered for Home Care. I was working as a home aide and at the airport. But in 2020 with Covid 19, my life became a nightmare. I left my home aide job because I had Covid, and then I was laid off from the airport job. It was hard for me. No job, no family, no money. I was depressed and suicidal. Fortunately, I applied for unemployment and got it after many months. As a part time worker, the money I got from unemployment allowed me to survive. I like to help others but now I am the one who needs help from those who can help to pay my lawyer, (My immigration interview is scheduled for May 2022) and to try to bring my son to the USA. My son tried 2 times to ask for a visa to visit me, but unfortunately it did not work. I have not seen him for almost 9 years. I miss him very much. I have been looking for a job since last year and got a good job in Boston, but unfortunately because of my immigration status I could not move there. I hope for a better future in the USA for me and my son. I also hope for good news next year with my Interview which will change our life for the better.

Thank you for your help.

Sally S Hope

How We Know Sally

Sally has been a friend of ours since 2017. She had lived briefly in the apartment my mom had moved into down the street from me in Brooklyn. They met there when Sally came by to pick up some mail one day, chatted on the stoop and quickly became friends. Sally is warm and relaxed, and my mother adored her right away, always talking about how lovely, interesting and beautiful Sally was. She also enjoyed having someone to speak French and Italian with. They took to each other as if they'd been friends for a long time.

As it turned out, Sally came into our life just as we were discovering that my mom was experiencing early stages of dementia. For anyone who’s seen this disease claim someone you love, you know how brutal it can be to watch as isolation and confusion slowly dim the lights on friendships, even family connections and many of the big and small joys of living an autonomous and full life. For my vivacious, proud and people-loving mom, it was an extremely challenging time. Sally was a new friend, but she ended up being a steady and loving companion to my mom as she went through some of those tough changes. Sally accepted my mom just as she was, and treated her with respect and dignity, even when my mom's memory was slipping and her behavior was sometimes unfamiliar or disoriented. When my mom broke both her wrists after a terrible fall, Sally helped me take care of her during the long recovery.

So much has changed over the last couple years. It’s been upsetting and frustrating to imagine that someone as caring and compassionate as Sally has had to struggle on her own, without the support of family or close friends nearby. The immigration system can be byzantine and cold, and things have moved slowly with her case. She has always worked and supported herself, but this pandemic has made it exceedingly hard, at times impossible, to push forward. I think Sally deserves all the help she can get!

Thank you for your consideration and support in helping reunite Sally and Ismael! And in helping our wonderful friend move through this next year with more ease and confidence that things can and will get better.

Kate and Sally