A Mid-Year Message from our President and CEO
Posted by Jessie Kornberg
Do you look forward to the summer? For my family it means road trips, baseball games, beach days, and warm nights. At the office it means 35 summer interns, bustling through the halls and bringing new energy and talent to our work.
But summer also means no school lunches for hungry kids. It means higher gas prices for struggling families. And it means dangerous, hot days for low-wage workers in restaurant kitchens, industrial warehouses, and garment factories.
This summer also brings with it new insecurity for undocumented parents. Los Angeles is home to 250,000 U.S. citizen children whose parents lack legal immigration status. Bet Tzedek has become the hub of services for these families in this moment of unprecedented fear. Since February we have worked with more than 20,000 families to help them understand their rights and secure legal protection for their children in the event of their removal from their homes.
None of this work was planned or funded a year ago. Our ability to jump into action and respond to the threat of the deportation surge was possible because of people like you—stalwart members of the Bet Tzedek family who have stepped up to support our work in our community.
New dollars volunteers are making the difference. When the community comes to us with urgent needs that no one else is willing or able to face, you give us the strength to say, “yes we can help you” with confidence.
I hope you’ll take the time to download the complete mid-year report by clicking the link below. Thank you for your faith in us, and your investment in our clients.