26 June

Refugee Children Retreat Week: The RISSE Dollar Campaign Soars

by Jon Katz
The RISSE Dollar Campaign: Red is the new soccer team mascot

Several weeks ago, I asked the readers of the blog to send $1 dollar to RISSE, the refugee and immigrant support center of Albany, as a statement of the support and welcome many Americans feel for refugees and immigrants to our country.

Nearly 1,000 of you responded. Wow. I am just getting started. I am sending RISSE $1 a day every day this month. I can’t think of a better payoff for $30 anywhere in the world.

As everyone knows, the issue of immigration has become intensely politicized and polarized in America.

The RISSE offices were burned down last year by arsonists, and there are numerous reports of hate speech and crimes around the country. These refugee and immigrant children are no threat to America, and many of us wish to show the true and generous spirit of our country.

RISSE has been doing extraordinary work on behalf of these vulnerable people with little money and almost no recognition.

I love the dollar idea, it is a way of standing up for our truth without spending a lot of money or arguing with anybody or putting up the awful hatred coming out of Washington. I reject our hateful two-party system of a paralyzed left and a right, I prefer to move beyond it to a place of doing good.

As these responses indicate, we are now an Army Of Good, and the RISSE staffers are reeling with gratitude and shock and appreciation.They are not used to this.

Many of these children have suffered unbearable trials and experiences, they are loving and eager to learn how to live in our country. I’d like to continue the RISSE $1 campaign and promote it regularly.

RISSE provides desperately needed support to refugee and immigrant children and adults – English  and accounting and job-hunting and form-filing, driver’s licenses, housing and tax assistance as well as day care and special classes for 100 children.

This week, some of these children are coming to Pompanuck Farms here in Cambridge for a three-day retreat paid for by you, the Army of Good. I’ll write more about that later.

But in celebration of this week, I’d like to resume the $1 campaign to RISSE, nearly 1,000 of you have already responded, and I thank you greatly and from my heart. You can donate directly to RISSE here, and you can donate more than $1 if you wish, but I like the symbolism of the dollar compaign – a small donation with a big message.

I want to keep mentioning it, it buoys good people in a time of need and sends a positive message in a time of anger.

If you wish, please say – you can donate through Facebook or major credit cards – that you welcome these refugees and immigrants to America and appreciate the hard and sometimes thankless job RISSE is doing.

My friend Ali, a teacher at RISSE, tells the children often that the venom and misinformation directed at them in recent months is not the real America. I believe his is correct and your dollar contributions say that more powerfully than anything.

(Note: Some of you have inquired about whether your donations to the refugee children or to RISSE are tax-deductible. My account says they are. Donations for refugee support that have come through me are also deductible in most cases, my accountant says, because RISSE is a 501.C non-profit. I am not seeking tax deductions for my support of things like soccer shirts or birthday parties, if you wish to seek deductions for  that, that is up to you. Contributions that go to RISSE are absolutely tax-deductible. That is good news, if you have any questions, please contact your accountant directly.)

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