The generosity of the CIJF community
On October 5, the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund hosted Celebrating Stories - our third annual celebration and fundraiser.
We are grateful that nearly 100 of you joined us that afternoon! We had a great time hearing from immigrants, immigration attorneys, and CIJF volunteers.
Prior to, during and after the event, our friends donated a bit more than $26,000 to the cause, surpassing our goal of $25,000!
Your gifts open the door for us to do the following:
Fund additional legal services for immigrants in Colorado
Continue funding Elizabeth Lopez - an immigration attorney who provides legal services in a remote and underserved detention center in Calexico, California
Further invest in our partnership with Home is Here NOLA to provide legal services in underserved communities in rural areas of Louisiana
Please know that we are profoundly grateful for your partnership as we seek to support newly arrived immigrants.
If you would still like to donate and help us celebrate even more CIJF stories, you can do so here.
Patrick wins his freedom!
Patrick & friends hours after winning his freedom
At the Celebrating Stories celebration, we shared about our friend Patrick from Kenya. Patrick is a world class distance runner (2:10 marathon) who fled challenging circumstances in his home country.
Patrick’s wife and children are still in Kenya, and Patrick was detained for months in the Aurora, CO immigrant detention center. CIJF is funding his legal fees, and we were disappointed that Patrick was not released in time to join us at the fundraiser.
But, we are thrilled to announce that he won his freedom three days later on Tuesday, October 8!
Patrick is now living in Denver, and a community of friends are providing him housing and helping him transition to life in the US.
With hope and gratitude,
Greg Mortimer on behalf of the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund team
