Dear John,

There’s never been a more timely or important time to support ILCM’s work. That’s why I’m proud to share that my fellow board members and I will be matching up to $10,000 in Give to the Max Day donations! That means that when you give any gift today, it doubles: $25 becomes $50, $50 becomes $100, $100 becomes $200!

Your gift and our match will support our work with immigrants and refugees throughout Minnesota. As the Sahan Journal reported yesterday, in towns like Austin, Minnesota, our staff has worked tirelessly over the past four years in the face of increasingly hateful rhetoric and stringent restrictions to advocate for our clients—clients like Oballa Oballa.

Oballa and his family fled their home in Ethiopia after a government-led attack on his community. They spent eight years in a refugee camp in Kenya, and ten years after the attack that forced them from their homes, they were approved for resettlement in the United States. Oballa completed his Certified Nursing Certificate in Sioux Falls, and then

moved to Austin, where he became a CNA at the Mayo Clinic, pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and became President of LeadMN, the student association of Minnesota’s two-year colleges. Last year, ILCM represented Oballa in his application for citizenship, and he proudly naturalized last December.

But his story doesn’t end there. This November, Oballa didn’t just get to vote in his first presidential election. He was on the ballot and won. Two weeks ago Oballa became the first Black person and first refugee elected to the Austin City Council!

Oballa is just one example of the many incredible immigrants and refugees who make Minnesota better. As you may have heard from ILCM Executive Director Veena Iyer on MPR this morning, with a change in administration in Washington D.C., doors that have been shut to immigrants for the past four years are likely to finally open. When that happens, ILCM will be there, ready to meet the increase in needs for our services head-on.

That’s why I’m asking you as ILCM Board Chair to make a Give to the Max Donation to support our work today. Our board will match your gift, doubling the impact that you can make for immigrants and refugees like Oballa.

In solidarity,