Help Fund Newlywed Kelly & Zoe's Immigration Case

Photo: The Story of the Last Four Years Pt. III by Kelly Buruca, 2023

Hi, my name is Zoe and I am fundraising for myself and my partner Kelly's future together. Kelly and I have been together for nearly five years now, and will finally be married by end of Jan 2024. We have spent years putting off the decision due to the exuberant expenses of Kelly's immigration case, but we deserve to commit to each other and begin this next chapter of our lives without the barrier of cost.

Kelly is a Salvadoran immigrant and PTSD survivor, and we are both first-gen college grads breaking out of generational cycles of poverty and dysfunction. We recently paid our way through our Associate degrees, which cost a combined $35k out of pocket over the course of four years. We moved out for the first time last fall for me to pursue a new job, and for Kelly to further her education on scholarship at UArts in Philadelphia. It was not a choice for us to take this most recent financial risk, but rather our only opportunity at a better life- so we did it, despite our doubts.

Due to her citizenship status, Kelly and I are in for a years-long journey of expensive legal fees, applications, court hearings, and counseling to guarantee our safety and security in the US together. We do not have the luxury that most do, where marriage is a straightforward, anticipatory life event with only the stress/cost of planning a ceremony. Our marriage is political in nature, and if we wait to marry until we can "afford" it, we may never be able to. Kelly has a right to the same life as anyone else here, and right now, her status is preventing that. With your help, we can fight to keep her rightful place in the country she's called home for nearly two decades- where we can have the future we deserve, together.

Donating will help not only with essential health expenses like insurance, therapy, and medication (we both require treatment and do not qualify for assistance), but also start building savings for her case. Between tuition, maintenance for our vehicle, and cost of living, we have been unable to save money since 2022 and have no financial support to turn to for the expenses to come.

Any and all help is appreciated- every penny will help us anticipate an easier tomorrow. The fundraiser is to pay for the entire legal process, which will help us stay afloat until we are on the other side of it. We are defying all odds pursuing independence and healing at our age, but we are determined not to give up. We hope that this effort will prove we are not alone in our struggles.

Thank you for your time.

With love and light,

Kelly & Zoe