Church World Service/CROP

Hello Community! Madison and I are excited to be running (and standing) for Charlotte immigrant children and undocumented families. We are lacing up our running shoes to raise awareness and funds for CWS Charlotte and the Charlotte Immigrant Solidarity Fund. The funds raised will be equally split between the CWS Charlotte Office and the Charlotte Immigrant Solidarity Fund.

Madison is the Migrant Services Coordinator at CWS Durham, and she has the pleasure of serving undocumented neighbors, both newly arrived and those more established through the ISF. The Immigrant Solidary Funding (ISF) is a state-wide, grassroots effort to support undocumented immigrant families like those who are facing financial hardship due to natural disaster, emergency, or ICE detention or deportation. Many families come to the US fleeing political unrest, violence, natural disaster, or poverty, arriving with minimal resources and unable to access government social safety networks. Despite contributing significantly to state and federal tax bases, undocumented individuals are ineligible for programs such as SNAP benefits, affordable housing vouchers, and others. The ISF works in several areas throughout the state, including the Triangle, Triad, Charlotte, Asheville, and Greenville regions. Since the program’s inception in 2019, we have distributed over $1,100,000 million in direct cash assistance to hundreds of vulnerable families. Madison is pictured on the left side of the Go Fund Me photo. There are currently over 40 families on the waitlist to receive support from the Charlotte ISF and with this fundraiser, we will be able to support families from the waitlist with one-time microgrants.

Madison will be running the Kiawah Island Half-Marathon in December with her parents. Her family has been visiting Kiawah Island for almost 45 years and Madison is thrilled to be able to fundraise for a cause close to her heart in a place that holds so many cherished memories. As a native Charlottean, it is important to her that newcomers to the Queen City feel welcome, regardless of their immigration status. She spent a year serving as a volunteer in Mexico City with the Lutheran church after graduating college and then worked for four years serving immigrant survivors of domestic violence. These experiences have informed her continued work of supporting immigrant and newcomer populations. This work would not be possible without the support of so many, including the Charlotte communities who helped bring her up. She is grateful to her home church, Christ Lutheran Church, for their support of the Charlotte Immigrant Solidarity Fund, as well as the support from other congregations in the area.

Gricelda serves as the Office Director at CWS Charlotte (CWSC). The team at CWSC provides services and access to resources for unaccompanied immigrant children and youth who have arrived in the United States without a legal parent or guardian. Each year, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children seek refuge in the United States. Most children are from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras and are fleeing violence and threats to their safety. For many, the long and dangerous journey to the United States is just the beginning of a challenging integration process. Each child has unique mental health, safety, education and legal needs. Many caregivers--who may be without legal status themselves--are ineligible or face legitimate fear in seeking out the limited community-based services to help meet their child's needs. CWSC’s services are critical for unaccompanied children who are experiencing transition in the Charlotte community. CWSC promotes the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children as they reunify with their families and begin a new life in the Charlotte community.

Gricelda will be running the Around the Crown 10K, the Novant Half Marathan, and her family will run their local turkey trot (now a family tradition)! Gricelda is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate who grew up in North Carolina. She supported unaccompanied immigrant children for seven years through in schools through Newcomer Services in Charlotte. She worked at an Emergency Influx Shelter, supporting the reunification process of children and their families. Later on, she supported immigrant children through post-release services.

Gricelda dreams of expanding services in Charlotte to serve the newcomer community through mental health services, cultural enrichment programming, and supporting language acquisition. With your donation, we can turn these dreams into reality. Every contribution helps provide basic needs & direct assistance to immigrant children, ensuring they have the resources, freedoms, and opportunities to flourish in Charlotte.

Please consider a gift to help make the Queen City a welcoming place for all!

Together, we can create a brighter future for unaccompanied children in Charlotte. Run with us towards hope!

The Immigrant Solidarity Fund is a project of Church World Service (CWS) Durham. CWS Durham is an immigration & resettlement office of Church World Service (CWS), a global humanitarian organization. Since 2009, CWS Durham has welcomed refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers from around the globe into lives of freedom, hope, and opportunity in Durham and our surrounding communities. I am grateful to my home church, Christ Lutheran Church, for their support of the Charlotte Immigrant Solidarity Fund.