First Grace --
then Faith and Works
mailing address -- 1265 S. Cleve-Mass Road
Copley, Ohio 44321
First Grace is a “Remnant Church."
Unlike most churches, we do not have a building to call our own.
Just the same, since 2014 we have been a worshipping and a working congregation remaining faithful to God and to proclaiming God’s Good Will through acts of caring.
More than half of the world's refugees are under the age of eighteen.
The Market Path and First Grace invite you to join them
in advocating for these refugee children and their families.
Take action by calling and/or writing elected officials.
Names and addresses can be found on the "In Our America" page.
We also suggest you financially support organizations
which are providing legal and social services to these immigrant families.
Take action.
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit that defends immigrants' rights. The organization is addressing ICE and border patrol abuse, immigration policies, and more, along with educating the nation on how to uphold the Constitution.
Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project
ASAP represents families crossing the border and connects them with support systems they wouldn't normally be able to access. The organization also works to prevent wrongful deportations from the United States and provides legal and emergency services.
Border Angels
Border Angels is a California-based volunteer organization. Its primary efforts focus on tackling immigration reform and promoting social justice at the US-Mexican border. Donations are used to fund educational programs, free immigration services, and events to support those in need.
Catholic Charities of the RGV
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd.
San Juan, TX 78589
Good Neighbor Settlement House (United Methodist)
1254 E. Tyler St.
Brownsville, TX 78520
Kids In Need of Defense
KIND defends the rights of unaccompanied immigrant or refugee children and ensures they cannot appear in court without "high quality legal representation."
National Bail Fund Network
Pilar Weiss, project director of the National Bail Fund Network, says one of the most effective ways to reunite immigrants separated from their families is to assist with paying their bail, which can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $80,500. You can find and donate to a bail fund in your city through the National Bail Fund Network.
RAICES
The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services is a Texas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing immigrant families and refugees with affordable legal assistance. Donations support its team of 130 attorneys and staff members.
South Texas Human Rights Center
117 E. Miller St.
Falfurrias, TX 78355
Young Center For Immigrant Children's Rights
The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights advocates for the safety and well-being of unaccompanied kids arriving in the United States. The organization works to protect children from harsh immigration laws and recently announced a project specifically dedicated to helping children separated from their parents at the border.
Donate via ActBlue
Can't decide which organization to donate to? Why not choose eight? ActBlue provides a simple and convenient way for people to distribute a single donation to eight different charities in need. One can donate to We Belong Together, United We Dream, Women’s Refugee Commission, , Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Human Rights First, ACLU, and La Union del Pueblo Entero.
Angry Tias and Abuelas of the RGV
@angrytiasandabuelas
June 20, 2019; CBS News
It all started in June 2018, when [Ms.] Hamilton received a text message from a friend, saying that she and other women had seen large numbers of women and children sleeping for several days. They were in 100 degree heat, on the concrete walkway of the Reynosa International Bridge, which sits on top of the Rio Grande and connects into McAllen, Texas. "It was quite a shocking scene," Hamilton said.
That's when the group of female friends, "angry at the sense of injustice," decided something needed to be done — rushing to the bridges with food, water, diapers, hand sanitizer lotion, clothes and anything they could think of to help out, and dedicating at least five days a week to helping out.
"We started talking to each other and meeting, and then enough of us were seeing each other enough times that some of us met for coffee at my house just to talk about coordinating a little bit and we formed the Angry Tias, thinking it would last for a few months," said Jennifer Harbury. Angry at the injustice, they used the Spanish words for "aunt" and "grandmother" to form their name. And one year later, the women are still making an effort to help.
All the women go to the McAllen, Brownsville or Harlingen bus stations for periods of at least three days or more to help migrants with hard-to-understand bus tickets, and little knowledge of how a cross-country bus trip, find their way to sponsors all over the U.S.
The women do one-on-one cultural and itinerary orientation for each person that includes assessing tickets, explaining the routes to them, informing them about immigration checkpoints and handing them a packet that includes answers to common questions. They also explain details like bathrooms are free, water fountains can be used to refill water bottles for free, help with the exchange of pesos and even give some $40 for their journey.
"It's just a whole different experience. They're very nervous and they're nervous about how they're gonna be kind of on their own going on these buses and making changes and figuring stuff out. So when we have time we sit down and just visit with them too," said Susan Law.
One of the tias, Elisa Filippone, had been crossing over from her home in Brownsville Texas, to Matamoros, Mexico, six days a week, for a year. She brought tacos and backpacks filled with panty liners, deodorant, clothes, and other items to hundreds of people who waited almost three months, without showers, to try to cross the Brownsville and Matamoros bridge into the U.S. for asylum.
"The situation is happening three blocks from where I work. Three blocks from where I live. I cannot just pretend that they're not there are not 50 people on the side of the bridge who need food and clothing....I can't forget it and go about my life, knowing that it is happening three blocks from where I live," Filippone said.
With the Robert F. Kennedy award, the women are receiving $10,000 to further help migrants searching for a better life in the U.S.
"I'm very proud to be serving with this group of women - only women - only eight of us. It's just women, who, We felt that doing nothing would be complicit. It's very illustrative that is women stepping up to do the job that the men who are in power should be doing," Filippone said.