In Their Own Words
Donation protected
Update 11/04/19: As of October, 2019, Kathie has now made 7 trips to the border, visiting 9 detention facilities. Her work and that of several others in her group, including her daughter, was recently featured in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20191016-the-witness?key=mi0Bff1vaLHL09_no2Emgy7tbffmKVgu1-3TybGHB6CmhnLKWenT9L1qom6WMkB5Q0dCZ2VGTTMxWUxKbnpYcnVhWHludEdBb1FqLXZrbVFEZ0RpU2cwWlg3Yw .
In addition to providing background on Kathie and the others, the article notes that she and her colleagues documented conditions at several facilities that, once exposed, prompted Congressional hearings into the treatment of detained children--conditions that have subsequently been compared to torture. Her work on behalf of these children continues, as does her resolve to continue to give voice to their circumstances.
Each trip costs about $2000, and Kathie has now made 7 trips. We've raised nearly $10,500 (!!), and I am hoping to keep the fundraising momentum going to help her recoup the money she has invested out of her own pocket AND to fund further trips until this nightmare is over. Thank you so very much for any help you can lend -- whether it is through a donation or spreading the word!
Previous posts:
Dear Friends,
Although it is not receiving the media attention it did last summer, the crisis at the border continues -- as does Kathie O's vital work of bearing witness to the human rights abuses happening there (see original post, below, for more information on what Kathie does, why it is important, and how you can help). Please consider joining me in continuing to support Kathie's work and her ability to counter cruelty with compassion.
Mignon
P.S. I'd like to raise an additional $8,000 to support Kathie's recent trip, to help compensate her for the thousands of her own dollars she has spent, and to fund at least one additional trip (more would be fantastic!); thus, I am raising our goal to $12,000 (since a little over $4,000 has been raised and spent on this very important work).
~~~~ Original post ~~~~
Remember the horror we all felt in early summer when we learned of immigrant children separated from their families at the US border and held in detention facilities? Remember that awful feeling of powerlessness, as we tried to figure out what we could do to help? Well, the crisis is not over, even if the immediacy of the problem has faded from the public eye, but here’s something we can do that will help concretely.
Since May, my friend and colleague, Kathie O., has been “boots on the ground,” making three trips to detention centers around the country, including the massive tent facility erected in Tornillo, Texas, documenting the conditions in which the remaining separated children and thousands of other unaccompanied immigrant children are being held. She’s volunteering with The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, but their funds go towards ongoing legal costs and not the translation and transcription support people like Kathie provide. She needs our help to be able to continue this vital work. Here’s how she describes it:
“I travel as part of a team of lawyers, child welfare specialists, doctors, and translators, visiting detention centers around the country where immigrant children are detained by the U.S. government. I’m fluent in Spanish, so I’m one of the translators. Some of the children we interview are among those separated from their parents at the border between April and June of this year; many others have come to the U.S. alone from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. We’re interviewing the children (individually) to hear their stories—why they left their home countries as well as what has happened to them at—and since—the time of their initial crossing of the border. We also inspect the premises and interview personnel at the facilities. We are doing everything we can to determine the conditions of the children’s detention to assess whether or not the facilities are in compliance with the Flores Settlement, a legal agreement with the government which sets the standards for their treatment while detained. With the information we provide, the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law pursues legal remedies for violations of that settlement. We help to improve the actual, day-to-day living conditions in which the children are detained in addition to working for their release.
There’s a pretty steep learning curve to the work, which means the more site visits I can make, the more valuable I can be, since I can hit the ground running, while others are being trained. But the cost of multiple site visits makes it increasingly difficult for me to continue, despite how passionately I want to be involved in this work.”
It was only after an hour of talking and some pointed questions that I learned that Kathie has been funding this vital work of bearing witness out of her own pocket. Each trip has cost an average of $2,000 (Kathie provided me with a detailed breakdown of expenditures; air-fare is usually exorbitant because the government gives only 2-3 days' notice that a site visit is approved), a figure that would be higher without the use of frequent-flier miles. Beyond the emotional toll that such heart-breaking work exacts, it is also taking a large financial toll. After much badgering, Kathie has given me permission to fund-raise on her behalf. Finally! Here is something that I can do -- not just to help offset the cost of this work myself, but to share the opportunity with others who've felt similar horror, heartbreak, and powerlessness. To that end, I am hoping to raise $4,000 to help Kathie recoup some of the thousands of dollars she's already spent and to allow her to continue this vital work.
If you are so inclined, please consider donating to this campaign. If you are a friend of mine and would like detail with respect to how you money will be used, please let me know and I'll be happy to share the details regarding expenses already incurred and updates on future trips after they occur; also, if we are friends and you'd like to donate directly via check, I'll be happy to facilitate that.
https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20191016-the-witness?key=mi0Bff1vaLHL09_no2Emgy7tbffmKVgu1-3TybGHB6CmhnLKWenT9L1qom6WMkB5Q0dCZ2VGTTMxWUxKbnpYcnVhWHludEdBb1FqLXZrbVFEZ0RpU2cwWlg3Yw .
In addition to providing background on Kathie and the others, the article notes that she and her colleagues documented conditions at several facilities that, once exposed, prompted Congressional hearings into the treatment of detained children--conditions that have subsequently been compared to torture. Her work on behalf of these children continues, as does her resolve to continue to give voice to their circumstances.
Each trip costs about $2000, and Kathie has now made 7 trips. We've raised nearly $10,500 (!!), and I am hoping to keep the fundraising momentum going to help her recoup the money she has invested out of her own pocket AND to fund further trips until this nightmare is over. Thank you so very much for any help you can lend -- whether it is through a donation or spreading the word!
Previous posts:
Dear Friends,
Although it is not receiving the media attention it did last summer, the crisis at the border continues -- as does Kathie O's vital work of bearing witness to the human rights abuses happening there (see original post, below, for more information on what Kathie does, why it is important, and how you can help). Please consider joining me in continuing to support Kathie's work and her ability to counter cruelty with compassion.
Mignon
P.S. I'd like to raise an additional $8,000 to support Kathie's recent trip, to help compensate her for the thousands of her own dollars she has spent, and to fund at least one additional trip (more would be fantastic!); thus, I am raising our goal to $12,000 (since a little over $4,000 has been raised and spent on this very important work).
~~~~ Original post ~~~~
Remember the horror we all felt in early summer when we learned of immigrant children separated from their families at the US border and held in detention facilities? Remember that awful feeling of powerlessness, as we tried to figure out what we could do to help? Well, the crisis is not over, even if the immediacy of the problem has faded from the public eye, but here’s something we can do that will help concretely.
Since May, my friend and colleague, Kathie O., has been “boots on the ground,” making three trips to detention centers around the country, including the massive tent facility erected in Tornillo, Texas, documenting the conditions in which the remaining separated children and thousands of other unaccompanied immigrant children are being held. She’s volunteering with The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, but their funds go towards ongoing legal costs and not the translation and transcription support people like Kathie provide. She needs our help to be able to continue this vital work. Here’s how she describes it:
“I travel as part of a team of lawyers, child welfare specialists, doctors, and translators, visiting detention centers around the country where immigrant children are detained by the U.S. government. I’m fluent in Spanish, so I’m one of the translators. Some of the children we interview are among those separated from their parents at the border between April and June of this year; many others have come to the U.S. alone from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. We’re interviewing the children (individually) to hear their stories—why they left their home countries as well as what has happened to them at—and since—the time of their initial crossing of the border. We also inspect the premises and interview personnel at the facilities. We are doing everything we can to determine the conditions of the children’s detention to assess whether or not the facilities are in compliance with the Flores Settlement, a legal agreement with the government which sets the standards for their treatment while detained. With the information we provide, the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law pursues legal remedies for violations of that settlement. We help to improve the actual, day-to-day living conditions in which the children are detained in addition to working for their release.
There’s a pretty steep learning curve to the work, which means the more site visits I can make, the more valuable I can be, since I can hit the ground running, while others are being trained. But the cost of multiple site visits makes it increasingly difficult for me to continue, despite how passionately I want to be involved in this work.”
It was only after an hour of talking and some pointed questions that I learned that Kathie has been funding this vital work of bearing witness out of her own pocket. Each trip has cost an average of $2,000 (Kathie provided me with a detailed breakdown of expenditures; air-fare is usually exorbitant because the government gives only 2-3 days' notice that a site visit is approved), a figure that would be higher without the use of frequent-flier miles. Beyond the emotional toll that such heart-breaking work exacts, it is also taking a large financial toll. After much badgering, Kathie has given me permission to fund-raise on her behalf. Finally! Here is something that I can do -- not just to help offset the cost of this work myself, but to share the opportunity with others who've felt similar horror, heartbreak, and powerlessness. To that end, I am hoping to raise $4,000 to help Kathie recoup some of the thousands of dollars she's already spent and to allow her to continue this vital work.
If you are so inclined, please consider donating to this campaign. If you are a friend of mine and would like detail with respect to how you money will be used, please let me know and I'll be happy to share the details regarding expenses already incurred and updates on future trips after they occur; also, if we are friends and you'd like to donate directly via check, I'll be happy to facilitate that.
Organizer and beneficiary
Mignon Jolly
Organizer
Bloomington, IL
Kathleen O'Gorman
Beneficiary
