The Co-organizers and friends of Gerardo and family are Rick Strand/Denise Harvey and John and Pamela Wojciechowski.

This family is facing an urgent and heartbreaking crisis. Together, we all have the ability to make a compassionate difference.

Gerardo is a beloved friend to many, a dedicated family man, and a hardworking individual who is the sole supporter of his wife, children, and mother. He is also his mother’s caregiver, who suffered a stroke and heart attack, leaving her 75% paralyzed. Both his wife and mother have legal status, and his children are U.S. citizens.

Gerardo’s story begins with his mother and sister escaping the civil war and gang violence that ravaged El Salvador, lasting two decades. She arrived in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, determined to get established and send for her family. Shortly after, Gerardo’s father died there in El Salvador.

At the age of 12, knowing his mother didn’t have the means to send for him. He couldn’t take it any longer and made the 3,100-mile journey alone through the unforgiving terrain of Mexico and Texas and it was then to her surprise she got this phone call that he was in the U.S. He came to the Bay Area, went to school and assimilated. He speaks English well and continually improved himself and worked.

Now, 36 years later, due to his current immigration status, there is an imminent threat of ICE raids and family separation. To protect the family unit, Gerardo has made the difficult decision to self deport and up-root them to El Salvador — a country he hasn't seen in 36 years. Once again, he faces a perilous time where current policies and the climate, leave no other viable option but to leave.

Our goal with this GoFundMe is to help Gerardo, his wife, their two children (2 and 4), and his mother with travel expenses and initial accommodations in El Salvador. Let’s come together as a community to show compassion, buoy his hope, and show support for this family in need. They deserve our kindness and understanding.

Please consider donating and sharing this message with your network. Your generosity will see to it that this family remains together at this difficult time. Gerardo’s skills, resilience, and hard work will carry them forward — but it’s our compassion that can make all the difference, here and now.

Thank you sincerely for your kindness and support.

Just prior to this posting, John and Pam Wojciechowski donated $1000.00, Tom Fox, $200.00 and Bill and Lou Widman, $100.00.

Thank you!