LUM Awarded $15K from “Women Who Care”

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Thanks to 100+ Women Who Care Greater Lafayette

When 100+ women come together to donate $100 each, they raise $15,100 – profoundly impacting nonprofits in our community. The group is “100+ Women Who Care Greater Lafayette,” and they meet four times a year to chose a local nonprofit as their grant recipient in Greater Lafayette.

Recently they awarded $15,500 the LUM Immigration Clinic. LUM is grateful to the 100+ women who care, especially Cris King, who made an inspiring presentation on behalf of the LUM Immigration Clinic.

This award is important to assist the LUM Immigration Clinic in fulfilling the mission to “tackle basic human needs and uplift the people of Greater Lafayette.” Thank you to Cris King (pictured below) and all of the 100+ Women Who Care for this tremendous gift. If you wish to invest in the LUM Immigration Clinic, please make a donation today.

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Presentation – Remarks by Cris King, LUM Volunteer & Donor

I’m Cris King, here to speak for the Immigration Clinic at Lafayette Urban Ministry
(LUM). I’m a volunteer and recent past board member at LUM. Also, a few years
ago I established a small endowment for the Immigration Clinic at the Community
Foundation.

Since it began in 2014, the LUM LUM Immigration Clinic has assisted with 862
individual immigration cases, improving the whole trajectory of these immigrants’
lives. Lives like Jacqueline Valera, who said, “Since obtaining the LUM
Immigration Clinic’s help with our immigration process, my husband was able to
obtain his work permit. His income has helped me out with my family and school
debt. I no longer have to work two or three jobs. I no longer have to miss
important family moments. I no longer have to choose work over my health… We
would not be where we are today without your help.”

Many immigrants come to this country seeking the safety and promise of the
United States. The legal issues they face after arrival often can be resolved by
knowledgeable attorneys or other certified representatives, but the costs for and
intricacies of these services are far beyond the capacity of most immigrants.
The LUM Immigration Clinic is a key way that LUM fulfills its mission to “tackle
basic human needs and uplift the people of Greater Lafayette.” Located at 420 N.
4th Street, the Clinic is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice. The legal
team is composed of DOJ accredited representatives and attorneys. With a
strong team of volunteers and only one full-time and one half-time paid staff
persons, every dollar donated to the Immigration Clinic is stretched into many
more dollars’ worth of certified legal help.

The Immigration Clinic has helped:

• 98 individuals achieve U.S. citizenship,
• 193 people obtain or renew their legal permanent residency (green cards),
• 82 acquire or renew DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status,
• and
• 18 apply for legal residency based on domestic violence (VAWA) or being victims of severe crimes (U visa).

It also has processed:

• 15 asylum cases,
• 6 Temporary Protected Status cases for Ukrainian and Afghan nationals
• 23 employment authorizations, and
• 500 consultations where general advice was given regarding individual
  cases.
  

While the vast majority of LUM Immigration Clinic clients come from Tippecanoe
County, they also can be residents of: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain,
Montgomery, Warren, or White county. In this region, LUM is the only provider
of these immigration services.

The cost of the services is extensive. LUM’s 2023 budget for the Immigration
Clinic is $107,000. Depending on the services required, per-client materials and
expenses range from $200 to $2,500. In addition, training and certification for
staff and volunteers can range up to $1,500.

The number of refugees contacting the Immigration Clinic has increased
dramatically over time, especially as it now also serves clients from both
Afghanistan and Ukraine. Among the most common countries and regions that it
serves are Mexico (404), Central America (89: Guatemala 31, Honduras 21, El
Salvador 32, and Nicaragua 5), Cuba and the Caribbean (43), South America (40),
Afghanistan (8), Ukraine (5), as well as others from Europe and Asia (including
China, India, and Bangladesh).

I’ll close with a further example (without details) of the enormous difference the
Clinic can make in an individual’s life: An Afghan man, whose wife is American,
fled for his life when the Taliban came to power. He was hiding in a hotel in
Pakistan, not even opening the blinds on the windows. They contacted the LUM
Immigration Clinic for assistance. It was a very difficult, technical and complicated
legal case. Through the research and advocacy of Christian Gallo, the Immigration
Clinic’s director, the man was able to receive the proper documentation, and
much sooner than usual. He now will be able to find safety in the USA. It is not an
exaggeration to say that in some cases, the LUM Immigration Clinic is saving lives. 
If you select the Clinic today, your funds will be used gratefully for the expenses
associated with helping many families and individuals from other countries. As
one grateful Ukranian refugee expressed to the Clinic director, “You gave us
hope.”

Thank you for listening. I very much appreciate your time.