Not Just A Toy

XORJE OLIVARES AND HEYXORJE.COM EXTEND CAMPAIGN WITH REFUGEE SERVICES OF TEXAS TO ASSIST DISPLACED PERSONS AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

“Not Just a Toy Campaign”

As Trump stomps, hollers, and threatens us with the ultimatum of either building a wall or shutting the border completely (that is until he receives tens of billions of dollars for a divisive structure, which Democrats have rightfully said won't happen), I can't help but feel sorry for him and others who fear the region I call home. As you can see for yourself, it's a simple, yet culturally-rich place; it's a quiet, yet vibrant sanctuary. For decades, immigrants and refugees have chosen to enter through places like my hometown in an attempt to start anew. But the current administration is making that difficult by complicating the asylum-seeking process and reducing funding for service-based organizations.

That's why we ask for your continued help in the last remaining days of our Not Just a Toy campaign, which will directly benefit Refugee Services of Texas as it works to integrate our fellow human beings into society following an already-arduous journey.

Please make a contribution that best suits your budget. Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated, but if you need some suggestions, consider these:

$25 = Welcome Meal for an arriving family
$50 = month’s worth of public transportation
$75 = week’s worth groceries for a family
$100 = 5 hours of interpretation for intake interviews
$500 = emergency medical services for an unaccompanied minor
$1,000 = mother & child application for citizenship
$1,500 = furnish an apartment for a new refugee family

ABOUT REFUGEE SERVICES OF TEXAS

Refugee Services of Texas is a social service agency dedicated to resettling and providing services to refugees and other displaced persons who are fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, and/or political opinion. Since its founding in 1978, RST has successfully resettled more than 15,000 refugees. Refugee Services of Texas is the state's largest refugee resettlement agency with offices in Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley.

RST recently celebrated its fortieth year of providing direct services to displaced persons now living in the United States, including refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking. With six sites across the state, including a developing site in the Rio Grande Valley, RST served 1,158 clients last year, including 40 percent of the refugees resettled in the state. Funds raised through “Not Just a Toy” will give clients in the Rio Grande Valley a chance to achieve self-sufficiency with dignity, after a long and arduous journey of victimization and persecution.

  “Imagine being met with violence after traveling hundreds of miles to escape it,” exclaims Xorje Olivares, host of Affirmative Reaction on SiriusXM Progress Channel 127 (Saturdays 12p ET). “Then, imagine after spending weeks reassuring your children that freedom is near, having to run for safety but not knowing where to run -- since you're strangers in the borderland. Survival and asking for asylum should NEVER be this hard and yet here we are.”

 “The entire immigration situation, as it's being handled by our current administration, fuels my activism as a border native, as it does countless others nationwide…” says Xorje “Nearly 44,000 immigrants in detention, roughly 14,000 of which are youth, it's apparent that a lot needs to be done to assist those who are either lost in the system or victims of a broken one.”

 Together, Xorje Olivares, HeyXorje.com, and Refugee Services of Texas are on a mission to raise enough to impact those from Mexico and far beyond who are seeking a route to safety in the U.S. Funds will be used to support clients’ basic needs including shelter, food, clothing, healthcare and legal assistance. Service recipients receive case management services and employment assistance, as well as ascultural orientation and English classes through RST.

 “Our clients come with no other physical belongings than the clothes on their backs,” says RST CEO, Russell Smith.  “We want to give them a wonderful holiday this year, but more than just toys are needed. With recent cuts in federal funding and a record low cap on the number of refugees entering the country, we need the people of Texas to rally around refugees and displaced peoples and show them that we are a place of refuge and support.” 

PLEASE DONATE NOW.  THANK YOU 

https://heyxorje.com
https://www.gofundme.com/toys-for-tornillo
www.rstx.org
@HeyXorje @XorjeO #NotJustAToy


Press:
Chris Kelley, The Kelley Group
Phone: 214-457-5266
Email: [email redacted]