December 21, 2020

Dear friends, known, and yet to be known,

I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and well.  No doubt you all have continued to advocate for and take care of those in need in your own communities during these extraordinary times.  Knowing you share our passion for the well-being of all children, we wanted to provide you with an update on our advocacy work on the Texas/Mexico border, our goals for the future, and to ask for your help.  

You have seen the news about asylum-seeking families’ plight and many of you witnessed it first-hand at the border.  Much of the medical effort at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, was supported by a non-profit we started in 2015, Community for Children, Inc.  Community for Children, Inc., board members have responded in multiple ways over the last five years:

• Organizing medical volunteers like you to provide acute care at the Humanitarian Respite Center
• Raising funds to hire full-time medical staff at the Humanitarian Respite Center
• Providing over-the-counter medications through funds supplied by the AAP and CforC
• Purchasing prescription medications and durable medical equipment for the immigrant families on the border
• Soliciting funds to support midwifery support for the pregnant mothers arriving
• Creating a partnership with Stanford, Texas Children’s Hospital and Migrant Clinician Network to develop the first national network of clinics and academic medical centers to connect pregnant mothers and children with chronic medical conditions to medical care in their destination communities.
• Offering referral services for vulnerable pregnant woman and children to other shelters along the border, including the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, La Posada Providencia in San Benito, Annunciation House in El Paso, The Holding Institute in Laredo, and Loaves and Fishes in Harlingen.   

For 2021, our goal is to raise funds to:

• Fully fund the salaries of certified midwives to provide medical triage and anticipatory guidance to all prenatal and postnatal immigrant mothers.
• Continue provision of prescription medications, over-the counter medications, supplies, and durable medical equipment for immigrant families.
• Advocate for human rights and the humane treatment of immigrant children and families through education and outreach to communities and policymakers.
• Expand our efforts to other immigrant shelters along the entire southern border from Brownsville to San Diego.

You can help us by:  

• Advocating for all children and families in your community and in this country.

• Educating friends, colleagues, and family about the work you did on the border and the work currently being done through Community for Children, Inc.

• Donating to Community for Children, Inc. and inviting others to do the same.  Donations can be made to CforC, Inc. at https://www.communityforchildren.org/

I treasure all of you who were able to come to the border and recognize the precious time and effort it took to get down here.  I am forever grateful that you joined us on the journey.  Many of you have written emails and letters expressing deep concern for the families and sent donations.  There is absolutely no way we could have cared for these families without you.  A million thanks!  Please stay safe and let me know how you are doing. I would love to hear from you.  

With much love and respect from the entire Community for Children, Inc. Board of Directors:

Dr. Marsha Griffin, President – (956)832-8255; griffincfc@gmail.com

Dr. Minnette Son, Vice President – (210)326-1280; msonmd@gmail.com

Dr. Stan Fisch, Treasurer – (956)345-7954; stan.fisch@gmail.com

Dr. Judith Livingston, Secretary – (512)288-6522; judeliving@gmail.com   

Warmest regards,

Marsha