2024 Impact Report

letter from Rilwan Osman

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Your past support has been instrumental in helping immigrant and refugee families in Maine overcome many significant challenges. During the past year, we have served more than 2,500 people in Androscoggin County.

These are our friends and neighbors. They hail from 20 different countries and speak a mix of 30 languages.

Your gifts combined with many others have provided language instruction and interpretation, addressed deep and complex trauma, helped them build new skills, and offered a better life.

Caring people like you give me hope as the families we serve face an uncertain future and profound risks, including:

Increased risk of deportation due to changes in Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) Policies
More restrictive asylum policies
Funding cuts to support organizations
Anti-immigrant rhetoric
Ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs

Although these threats are daunting, with your help we will continue to provide immigrants and refugees in Maine:

Everyday essential resources, like housing and food.
Immigration-related legal services, such as asylum claims, work authorization, green cards, and naturalization.
Behavioral health services to support immigrants and refugees who have experienced deeply traumatic events.
Substantial youth programming, such as mentoring, after-school, summer, and school vacation activities that focus on academics, recreation, and secondary education preparation.

As Mufalo Chitam told the Portland Press Herald, “People are fearful of what’s ahead from what they heard during the campaign. It creates some worry, some fear, some anger. All those emotions are going on today.”

The stakes have never been higher for the immigrant and refugee families who have found new homes in Maine. Please renew your support today.

Together, we can safeguard the rights and dignity of all who call Maine home.

With gratitude,