"Kids In Need Of Defense": This Was Written By A Friend's Sister Who Works for K.I.N.D.

Family, friends, all reading:

It is too late and I am awake, and I have tears in my eyes.  Many of you know that I work for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).  It is an awesome organization.  Our mission is the protection of refugee and immigrant children.  These are challenging times for this work, and we have all been burning the midnight oil for weeks and months on end to do our best to serve the mission. 

You may be following the news including tonight's announcement: there are soon to be a total of four shelters housing "tender age" children who have been ripped from their mothers' and fathers' arms.  Let's be clear: these are little kids that were taken by force from their moms and dads.  In some cases the parents were told that the children were being taken to another room for processing, and then their children were simply gone.  Some of these parents were told, "You will never see your child again", "Your child will go to foster care", "There are no families here." 

Refugee families are fleeing absolutely devastating violence in Central America. They are fleeing for their lives because they know that staying means certain danger or death for their children.  They are arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and their babes in arms, begging for safe haven, and this is what they are getting.

Doctors and lawyers who have managed to access these "tender age" facilities find rooms of screaming babies, toddlers and little children.  The children are screaming because they have no idea where their mommies and daddies are and they are absolutely hysterical.  To make matters worse, and more Orwellian, the government does not have a functioning system to track and reconnect parents and children who have been forcibly separated.  Mothers and fathers are trying to find their babies and they can't.  Jeff Sessions tells us this is what Jesus would do.  Do you buy that?  I don't. 

Here are a few things I have never done but I am doing tonight:
1) Joining Facebook
2) Asking you all to please donate right now

I have joined Facebook tonight even though I am a social media luddite, because I know this is the best way to reach people quickly.  

KIND is getting ready to send teams to the border shelters and detention facilities next week to help children and separated parents.  And at the same time we are working tirelessly to help as many children as we can every day, as we have done for 10 years.  But I have to tell you our staff is being brought to their knees because the need is so great and we just need more resources, and we need them yesterday.  And to make matters worse, our federal funding for legal representation of children is at serious risk. Some has already been pulled and there is a potential loss of more which means shoring up our resources is particularly vital - especially now with so much need, growing by the hour. 

Will you help us tonight?  Will you please ask your friends and families to give?  Those of you who know me know that I wouldn't be asking you this unless we really truly needed it right now.

Our own precious child told us the other day, "Mommy and Daddy, guess what?  I love you.  I love everyone in the whole world!"   When I was a child, I spoke like this child.  Now I know more but I want to be like a child again and believe that goodness will prevail and this horrifying brutal practice will end.  https://www.facebook.com/donate/228938904369611/228938934369608/
Laurie