Emergency Relief for the Kowalik Family

Tamas and Olena and their 4 children are a Hungarian/Ukrainian family living in the little Apple. They are deeply invested in our community having been living, studying, and working in Manhattan over the past several years. They have recently experienced significant hardship after being approved to become American residents early this summer. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is so backlogged that they are unable to process their Adjustment of Status in a timely manner while Tamas’s elderly mother has been diagnosed with cancer. She is bedridden in a hospital in Hungary totally alone after two surgeries over the past few weeks while being subjugated to inhumane conditions. The family spent most of their life savings on an expedited green card process which is significantly flawed by our government’s lack of ability to process the approved card in a timely manner. It could take months, even years, for them to get to the front of the green card “line” which they have already been approved for when normally it takes about 4-6 weeks to receive a green card in the mail once it has been approved. If Tamas is forced to return to Hungary, he will face severe financial hardship due to his political marginalization as he is an expert on the perils of authoritarian regimes. Due to this expertise, he will not be allowed to work or thrive in his country of origin. Tamas has also helped write and manage a multi-million dollar YouthBuild Department of Labor grant which has brought an influx of jobs to Kansas and to American people. Not having his grant administration support could cause significant backlash in Kansas and impact American jobs at the local level. At this time, the family has the chance to apply for a change of status by resubmitting the green card paperwork through another channel which could allow them to stay in the US. However, as Tamas mother’s health condition worsens, they do not have the financial means to deal with all that is being thrown their way. If they do not receive help, they will be forced to leave the US after investing their life and hope in our community, a community they desperately want to stay in and where their children have made friendships that could last a lifetime. This is where we come in. The Kowalik family would benefit from our generosity at this time to deal with the significant immigration issues they are facing since the resubmission is costly (approximately $6,000) and pay for the medical expenses associated with his mother’s deteriorating condition. Please share this widely so we can come together as a community and help them. They are very deserving of becoming American residents. Every little bit helps. Thank you for helping them get through a very challenging time.