We did it! Thank you to everyone who so kindly and generously donated!
Update Feb. 25:
One last push to help families! We are so happy that 5 of our 7 families are stable in thier homes, back to work and the children back in school! This is because of the wonderful support from all of you!
We have just 2 families still living this nightmare and we want to make it a little easier to ensure they too, can feel stable and safe. One family is still desperatley trying to get thier loving father/husband home.
This is our last big push to support these 2 families. We need to be sure thier rent gets paid next week so they do not get evicted. All we need is $2000 to make that happen. After that our fundraiser will close, as we have nearly met our goals.
Please help. Even just sharing this fundraiser with your contacts is doing us a tremendous favor.
As a thank you to all donors, we are compiling recipes from our families to share with you all! These include food recipes created and shared with you from the many beautiful cultures in our school. They will include, Peruvian, Brazilian, Georgian, Eatern European, Guatemalan, Indian and many more authentic recipes. Once complete we will share with you by sending you a link in a thank you response.
Again thank you and let's make this happen!
Original text below:
My name is Jennifer and I am the Director a preschool 5 minutes south of Minneapolis. Our school community is facing a crisis that no family should have to endure. Several of our families have been directly impacted by recent ICE operations. One father has been detained and is currently being held in El Paso, separated from his spouse and children. Other families are living in constant fear—afraid to leave their homes, unable to go to work, and keeping their children home from school because they don’t feel safe. The impact has been immediate and devastating. For the family whose father is detained, communication is painfully limited. I have helped set up an account so they can receive brief, two-minute phone calls from him—currently their only connection. Legal aid is essential to bring him home, but it comes at a high cost. Just to begin the process requires a legal retainer, and expenses will continue to grow from there. This burden is overwhelming for a family with no income and no financial safety net.
In the midst of this fear, our community has stepped up. Families of other students have been providing mutual aid, sharing what they can to help one another survive. This fundraiser is an extension of that care. All funds raised will go directly to the families in our school who are most severely impacted, helping to cover food and basic necessities, emergency support for families unable to work, and legal aid costs to fight detention and reunite families. No family should have to choose between food and legal representation. No child should have to live in fear of losing a parent.
As Director of Sunrise International Montessori (5 minutes from Minneapolis, in Burnsville), I can assure you that all (100%) donations go directly from this account to the families to help them pay rent, utilities and day to day costs. We visit families daily to provide food support, emotional support and assist them in navigating the release process.
Your support—whether through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser—can provide immediate relief and hope during an incredibly frightening time. Thank you for standing with these families. Your generosity matters more than you know.