From September 17 to October 1, Young Center supporters, volunteers, and staff around the country joined the Waymaker Race for Immigrant Children. Around the country, people walked, ran, and rolled in support of the human right to seek safety and raised funds for our work. To date, the campaign has raised $11,321 for the Young Center’s work with separated and unaccompanied immigrant children facing deportation. Young Center Philanthropy Director Birdie Soti reflected on the campaign and moment of solidarity.  

Since I joined the Young Center as its Philanthropy Director in March of 2021, I have learned so much about the dire impact unjust immigration laws and policies have had particularly on unaccompanied and separated immigrant children. The system does not treat them as children, and it should. From the difficult journey to the U.S. borders to being placed in adversarial court proceedings where they bear the burden to prove they deserve protection; the odds are stacked against children every step of the way.

Young Center Child Advocates-staff and volunteers-make sure children don’t face this system by themselves. I am inspired each day by the team of Child Advocates around the country who tirelessly work to ensure the safety and best interests of children facing deportation. Their effort is coupled with our strategic policy team who are persistently knocking on doors of lawmakers to urge them to reimagine an immigration system that considers children's best interests. And lastly, I am grateful to the back-end staff between my development team and the operations department that ensure our programs are fully funded and supported with all the necessary resources—including prioritization around staff wellness and adherence to our DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) values.

Mounting our first inaugural Waymaker Race was not only inspired by the legions of active supporters and volunteers we have nationwide but also Young Center staff teams across our eight offices, several of whom we know to be active (and aspiring) runners. We had a vision for seeing a sea of teal-colored race shirts, running in droves across the country, to raise money and awareness for our mission. Collectively, over the last two weeks, the Waymaker Race raised over $11,000 and proudly represented the Young Center on urban, suburban, and countryside running trails across 19 states.

What is a Waymaker, you ask? Years ago, the Young Center had the honor of serving a girl from West Africa. When she was successfully released from custody, settled in, and enrolled in high school, she sent a letter to her Child Advocate, thanking her for being her Waymaker. We love that word. Today, as children continue to be separated from their families at the border and children who arrive on their own are at risk of being deported to danger, we need more Waymakers than ever.

Thank you to all of you who are Waymakers for immigrant children and enjoy all the #BeAWaymaker photo submissions we received. We look forward to growing this race community next year!