Immigrant Solidarity Team
The Immigrant Solidarity Team is concerned with helping immigrants and refugees to adjust to life in the United States. We work with local organizations to achieve this goal, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and RefugeeOne. We also engage in legislative advocacy and learning opportunities for the congregation. The IST welcomes all who are interested in working to build a better world for immigrants in the United States. We meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 4:00pm. At present we are meeting on ZOOM. Contact Maggie Wilson or Michelle Novak through REALM or at admin@ucevanston.org.
The Immigrant Solidarity Team (IST) works to establish and nurture long-term partnerships with local immigrant communities and organizations. UCE seeks to:
The IST has recently expanded its work to include the support of refugees as well. Here are some of our most recent projects:
Updates from Immigrant Solidarity Team
New Fundraising Effort for Afghan Family: April 15, 2022
The Immigrant Solidarity Team is so grateful for all donations to the Bakeer family last fall and winter. We were able to pay their rent through July and buy clothing as well with our fundraising and the generous support of an Endowment grant.
Now we are shifting our attention to an Afghan family. We are not naming them because of privacy concerns. The young woman who heads up this family is in her 20s and her husband is still in Afghanistan, unable to come to the U.S. for now. One of our volunteers, when making a visit to the apartment building of the Bakeer family (Syrian) was approached by this young mother—she asked “could you please help me too?” She was provided an apartment and some basics by the resettlement agency, but they are very strapped right now and she had no sponsoring family to help her learn the ways things operate in our society.
This brave young woman has a 9-month-old baby and her 10-year-old nephew in her family. Two of our volunteers—Marilyn Wroblewski and Sheila Holder have taken the lead with this family and have been providing food, clothing, furniture and general advice about shopping, food stamps etc. Andy Shlickman is assisting with much needed legal help on behalf of the husband. Other team members working with the Afghan family include Jane Kenamore, Carol Nielsen and Jeanne Kerl and we are also collaborating with Building Peaceful Bridges (a local nonprofit). The young mother is taking English classes online and will be getting some tutoring help from another UCE member. Other volunteers on the refugee team have also pitched in—getting her a new bed and other necessities. She is very eager to work and earn money for her family.
Her rent support from her resettlement agency runs out April 30th, so we are launching a fundraising campaign to support her with a goal of $7800 to pay the family’s rent from May until October. Please donate on the page on the UCE website. Every amount helps us reach our goal. We will have Facebook posts as well and we ask that you share those with friends if you feel comfortable doing that. We want to get many donors outside our church membership as well.
Please dig deep and contribute if you can. Checks can be mailed to The Unitarian Church of Evanston, Refugee Family Fund, 1330 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201. Please write“Refugee Fund” on the memo line of your check. You can also use this online form and scroll down to “Refugee Family Fund” and enter your amount and fill out the form to donate, as directed.
Any questions? Please email Jeanne Kerl at figkerl@gmail.com. And thank you for considering this.