What I did for my 36th Birthday

Last month, I turned 36! My favorite show is Survivor, so I thought about doing a Survivor-themed birthday, but decided I wanted to do something to help out in my new community.

When I lived in Arizona, I volunteered with an organization - The Welcome to America Project - visiting refugee families, delivering furniture and household items to them, and letting them know that they are loved and welcome in America. I thought that would be cool to start here in Iowa if it wasn't already a thing, so I reached out to the Catherine McCauley Center, a local organization that helps refugees and immigrants with a variety of services. I found out from them that the only refugees that have been allowed to come into the country this year are a few from South Africa. Usually there are thousands and thousands, but that has stopped. So, the organization doesn't have any resettlement to help with or families that need furniture. Their biggest need was to help fill their food pantry because so many families rely on it, and the USDA funding that normally filled the food pantry had been significantly cut.

So, I sent out a message to friends here and family far and asked for donations. So many venmoed me money or donated directly to the center. Thank you for your generosity! Clayton, the kids and I went shopping and filled two carts. On my birthday, we picked up more food from a friend and then drove to the Catherine McCauley Center and met another friend who brought food with her too. We filled the shelves and fridge and met some families that were there to get food. Then we had a tour of the center and learned about all of the awesome things they are doing to help immigrants, and all the ways immigrants make our community and country better.

There is a lot of rhetoric, fake news, even lies being spread about immigrants to create fear. Things like Haitian immigrants overrunning cities and filling the jails (fake news), Mexican immigrants taking our jobs (Is this true? It seems to me like they're filling job gaps that most Americans don't want.), and immigrants not paying taxes (absolutely false - in 2023 immigrants in Iowa paid $1.8 BILLION in taxes). 

I have lived in two other countries (Haiti and China) and dealt with phases of culture shock, language barriers, paperwork and government red tape (it took me like 4 trips to the Chinese Embassy in DC to finally get my visa approved). I also felt loved and accepted by all that I met - like I was family to them. Likewise, it is not easy for many immigrants to get to America or figure things out here, but most come at great risk to escape cruetly, hunger, suffering, violence - and to make a better life for their children. Your opinions on immigration may be different than mine, but I ask you to 1. Look for the truth and facts around immigration. Question the posts you see on social media., 2. Think about how US tax money could be used to open the door for more immigrants to come legally rather than paying to lock them up and dehumanize them, and 3. Find ways to connect with immigrants in your community. We truly are all family - brothers and sisters. Children of the same God. 

Thank you again to those who contributed to help make this my best birthday ever!