At just 17 years old, Ceci’s life was an adventure, an adventure that, at first, included risks and difficulties.
She is grateful that Fayetteville Justice For Our Neighbors, an immigration-friendly nonprofit, has helped her find a better and stronger situation.
The organization, called JFON for short, is helping 15 to 20 immigrants like Ceci each week.
Now, the same Fayetteville JFON is getting a big boost. The small organization in downtown Fayetteville is a national recipient of a $50,000 grant from A Community Thrives, a Gannett Foundation program that provides investments to nonprofit organizations and service projects across the country. The Fayetteville Observer is a component of the Gannett/USA TODAY network, the nation’s largest newspaper publisher.
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Brandy McPherson, executive director of Fayetteville JFON, said the grant would help the organization succeed in more people. He said the need is obvious.
“We have other people knocking on the door. We have other people emailing and getting the facilities we have. »
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Donna Akuamoah, the attorney, said the total population of southeastern North Carolina, served through JFON, is more than one million people.
“Among this population, many other people are farmworkers, farmworkers, meat plant workers” and factory workers, he said. “So that’s the majority of our customers. I would say 99% of our customers.
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“When I got here, I was pretty much the only nonprofit immigration attorney at the time,” she said. “So, basically, we’re in a legal immigration desert. “
Fayetteville JFON, which opened in 2020, is helping others like Ceci, whose full call is kept to protect their privacy. He was 3 years old when he arrived with his mother from Guatemala.
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“My mother sought me out to have a greater chance of good fortune because here in the United States, they can achieve their dreams,” Ceci tells her story on JFON’s national website.
On his adventure north, he remembers camping and listening to the sound of snakes in the desert; They put garlic in their socks to keep them away.
“The worst party I had was when we first entered the desert. As soon as we had 10 to 15 minutes of travel, the “zetas,” an organization of “bad people,” as I was later told, came to us with guns. They took all our food and money.
Ceci had worked in the fields of North Carolina picking tobacco for 14 years. Her mother was given a bigger and more solid task thanks to the Organizing Committee of Agricultural Work, says Ceci.
Meanwhile, Ceci, thanks to Fayetteville JFON, is running on a new form of immigration status, a procedure she says has been “quick and easy. “
She praised the nonprofit: “I thank you all the way, but I must especially thank my attorney JFON, Donna!He has been very patient and kind. It made me feel like we had already known and known each other for a long time.
Akuamoah said JFON is running on several other types of instances, adding instances similar to the renewal of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals); the Law against Violence against Women, citizenship, permanent residence and “U visas” for victims of criminal activities.
Many of its consumers come from El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. But over the years, JFON, which provides free or cheap services, has helped others in many countries, adding Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
And the JFON team is looking for new tactics to help. Especially when some avenues are closed, such as the pause in the first DACA programs imposed last summer by a federal judge.
Viviana Quiles, JFON’s paralegal and assistant in Fayetteville, works in the Lee County school system, is bilingual and connects with clients through this job: the parents of some of her students. visa (Parole in Place) similar to military service that can only be applied to the military corps of painters or their families.
Quiles said JFON will faint to meet consumers where they are. She describes one of her many successes: a married woman from Mexico who didn’t speak English, which can be a significant barrier to citizenship. But the woman studied and persevered.
JFON staff accompanied her to the interview with immigration officials, Quiles said, “She’s very nervous, I remember. It’s amazing. He is very successful. “
“She got excited. It is a moment of joy. »
Fayetteville JFON is the recipient of the A Community Thrivs grant. The nonprofit earned $15,000 as a regional grant recipient in 2021.
To be eligible for a grant, local organizations applied and did their own fundraising. Organizations that reached a safe threshold went for a regional grant. The beneficiaries of the national grants were chosen from among the most sensible regional finalists.
Fayetteville JFON is affiliated with National JFON, which is an immigration department of the United Methodist Church.
For the Fayetteville team, the paintings are personal. Akuamoah is a first-generation immigrant from Ghana. McPherson’s father emigrated from Jamaica. Quiles is from Puerto Rico, a U. S. territory.
Part of her project is teaching others about the price and contributions of immigrants in southeastern North Carolina.
This includes a fundraiser and a Day of the Dead-themed evening scheduled for Thursday and coinciding with National Immigrant Day on Friday.
“What COVID has taught us is the workers,” says Akuamoah. “These are farmworkers. These are farm workers. We wouldn’t all be here without them.
“They may just not take a break, even if they don’t have health insurance, all of that. They still had to be there, so we can eat. “
Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3559.