Each year, our team votes on a cause to support through Donate + Elevate, our donation match program. Any donation made by an Optimist is matched, and elevated to be matched a second time with a non-profit whose work aligns with that chosen cause. In the past, we have supported causes like climate and land justice, urban farming, women’s health, and more. This year, we have chosen to focus on immigration justice.
With recent increases in immigration enforcement actions, including arrests without warrants and the detention of individuals—even those pursuing legal pathways to citizenship—immigrant communities across the country face unprecedented uncertainty and fear. Our team recognizes that these challenges affect real families, neighbors, and community members who deserve dignity, due process, and access to justice. Read on to learn more about the non-profits we will be supporting this year.
Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
NEW ORLEANS
Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants (LORI) is a community-led non-profit built by and for refugees and immigrants. Founded as a volunteer initiative to promote cultural engagement and understanding, LORI has significantly expanded as a resource that supports refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants throughout their various stages of integration, enabling them to become self-reliant members of their communities.
LORI works to promote diversity and inclusion while advocating for humane immigration policies that offer dignity, safety, and opportunity to immigrants.
Their comprehensive programs include:
- Immigration Legal Aid, providing free or low-cost legal assistance for family reunification, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), citizenship applications, work permits, due process, and more.
- ESL and Citizenship Preparation, offering English language classes and civics lessons to help immigrants integrate into the community and prepare for naturalization.
- Civic Engagement Initiatives, including voter education, Get Out the Vote campaigns, candidate forums, and “Know Your Rights” workshops that educate everyone on their rights and the importance of civic participation
- Youth and Women Empowerment Programs, supporting leadership development and advocacy skills.
- Climate Justice and Disaster Response, addressing how climate impacts disproportionately affect immigrant communities.
Get involved with their mission by checking out their upcoming events or donating today.
United We Dream
NATIONAL
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country, with over 800,000 members across more than 100 local chapters in 28 states. Founded in 2008 and gaining prominence through grassroots organizing, UWD has been at the forefront of advocacy for immigrant rights, particularly for young undocumented Americans. The organization played a pivotal role in the creation and protection of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
UWD’s approach centers on empowering immigrant youth to develop leadership and organizing skills while providing them with the knowledge and resources to carry out their own campaigns at local, state, and federal levels. Their work recognizes that immigrant rights are interconnected with racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice.
The organization offers several programs and initiatives, including:
- Education Not Deportation (END), which works to stop deportations of Dreamers and their families by highlighting their stories and encouraging community support.
- Dream Educational Empowerment Program (DEEP), designed to increase the number of immigrant youth who can benefit from protective legislation and support the transition from high school to college.
- UndocuPeers Curriculum, which provides educators, students, and staff with resources on how to work with undocumented students.
- Defending Our Neighbors Fund, an initiative launched in partnership with the ACLU that scales up access to legal representation for families fighting wrongful detention and deportation.
- The DACA Renewal Fund, which helps DACA recipients pay the $495 renewal fee.
- Here To Stay Network, building community commitments to protect immigrants.
- Advocacy and organizing toolkits on creating sanctuary cities, finding financial assistance, and starting community organizing programs.
If you want to support UWD and its vital work, you may join here or donate here.
GET INVOLVED TODAY
Both of these non-profits are doing great work to bring our communities closer to our goal of creating a more just and welcoming future for all. The immigration justice challenges we face require collective action and support at every level. Regardless of citizenship and immigration status, every person deserves dignity, due process, and the opportunity to thrive. We can all do our part to support immigrant communities through volunteering, learning, advocating, and donating.
