E and I are participating in our second-ever 5k this weekend to raise funds for IRIS
In honor of the amazing immigrants and refugees in nuestra familia who began arriving in this country 60ish years ago E and I are participating in our second-ever 5k. we have decided to try to raise a bit of extra for IRIS who have recently suffered significant federal funding cuts. Their work is more important now than ever.
Please cheer us on and if you wish, contribute a little. Our family wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for organizations like IRIS. Mil gracias y muchos besos!
my family came to this country from Cuba starting in the late 1950s - some as immigrants and some as refugees. they came here because they bought into the promise of a bright future for themselves and their children. they were fortunate to come to the united states fairly easily because this country provided political asylum to these refugees from that little island. i was raised with the privilege of security knowing that my parents and my grandparents were not going to be deported because this country opened the door for them unlike so many others.
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i watched my mami prepare for US citizenship and have heard her talk about the difficulty of renouncing allegiance to her homeland. watched my papi meet his extended family for the first time. heard my grandparents talk of careers abandoned, dreams deferred and the difficulties of starting over in a hesitant or unwelcoming community. but I've also heard and seen their love for this vast country that gave them new dreams and a future. the US is it's best when it is welcoming.
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The mission of IRIS is to enable refugees and other displaced people to establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities. Refugees are men, women and children who fled their countries of origin due to persecution on the basis of their race, nationality, religious belief, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Currently, IRIS’s refugee clients come from Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and other countries. IRIS provides refugees with housing, food, clothing, and services such as education, English training, job preparation and placement, health care, and immigration legal aid. Let's help them keep doing this important work.
