Thursday, May 13, 2021, 7:00pm ET
On Thursday, May 13, 2021, Young Center supporters, staff, volunteers, and ambassadors gathered online to celebrate the courage and resilience of immigrant children. We honored our very first Waymaker: Founder and Executive Director Maria Woltjen, who will be retiring at the end of June after 18 years of passionately fighting for unaccompanied immigrant children and changing the system to integrate child protection principles into practice, policy, and the law. We are so thankful to everyone who participated in the event and made it a success. In case you missed this inspiring evening, you can watch the highlights in the video here.
If you were unable to attend the event, please consider donating to support our work with immigrant children. Donations and ticket purchases will be matched up to $100,000 through the generosity of the Young Center Board, and an anonymous donor.
For check donations, please mail to:
Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights
2245 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 301, Chicago, IL 60616
Issues we are tackling right now:
Advocating for the best interests of separated and unaccompanied children facing deportation and reuniting them with their families. Read five success stories here.
Advocating with the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize immigrant children’s needs. Learn about our top ten priorities for the administration.
Fighting to restore and improve access to asylum. Read about four of the asylum-seeking children we’ve served here.
Fighting for the families and children trapped in refugee camps at the border due to the Remain in Mexico policy. Click here to read the stories of some of the children impacted by this dangerous policy.
Artwork: Upon My Father’s Shoulders by Belle Yang.
Event Sponsors
Event Donors
Visionaries: Joan and Michael Frankel, Joyce Foundation, Oak Foundation, Diana and John Raitt, V-Day, Marc Zimman and Sarah Dome-Zimman
Champions: Wendy Montoya Cloonan, Julian Dibbell, Linda Dakin Grimm, Debra Hass, Landry Family Foundation, Brian Ruben, Darrell Silver, Simone Tseng, Lori Wittman
Extraordinary Advocates: Kevin Angeles, Sandra Black, Frances de Pontes Peebles, Penny Windle and John Kline
Legendary Defenders: Jimena Catarivas Corbett, Ahmet Hepdogan, Beata Leja, Tara Magner, Beatriz Martorello, Richard Naponelli, Chioke Nassor, Bonnie Oberman, Lawrence and Karen Preston, Elissa Steglich, Teresa Sullivan, Phyllis Schwartz
Believers: Janine Biskind, Elizabeth Foster and Michael Walsh, Vanessa and John Lucas, Jane Montealegre, Cynthia Wilson and Chip Peters
Auction Donors
A24 Films, Tom Bachtall, Gaby Diaz, Fender, Tony Fitzgerald, The Ground LLC, Interlink Publishing, Isabelle Allende, jookie: a portrait boutique, inc., Maaza Mengiste, Radici Studios, Sandy Rodriguez, Charles Stewart, Belle Yang