In a continued affront to the Latino immigrant community, President Trump recently announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would be rescinded in six months. Many Mission community members have been asking how they can help our young adults affected by this change in federal policy. That’s why MEDA has partnered with beloved neighborhood entertainment establishments and longtime community organizations to bring the everyone together for two fun — yet impactful — fundraisers. (See flier.)
While most are paying attention to the six-month DACA deadline of March 5, the most-pressing deadline for current DACA beneficiaries is actually Oct. 5, less than a month away. Some 200,000 DACA beneficiaries now have to quickly pull together $495 to pay the fee and fill out their renewal paperwork so that they have a two-year renewal of their deportation protection and work permits. This translates to their being under the aegis of DACA into the early months of 2020.
Upcoming Mission fundraisers will support young adults to renew their DACA status so that they can pay the required $495 for their renewal applications. When the community comes out to help, they can rest assured that 100 percent of funds donated go directly to these Mission youth.
Here are the three ways to help:
- DINE + DONATE ON SEPT. 14 (Facebook event @ goo.gl/abJG3N): Stop by for a tasty Senegalese meal at Bissap Baobab (3372 19th Street @ Mission) this Thursday, Sept. 14, starting at 5:30 p.m. Bissap Baobab has agreed to donate 20 percent of your dinner cost and all drinks on table to the DACA fund. Donations will also be accepted on site. As a winner of a 2016 OpenTable “Diners’ Choice Award,” a great time is guaranteed.
- DRINK + DONATE ON SEPT. 21 (Facebook event @ goo.gl/niZbDN): Join your neighbors at always-buzzing Dr. Teeth (2323 Mission Street @ 19th) on Thursday, Sept. 21, starting at 4 p.m. Dr. Teeth will donate 10 percent of all bar sales to the fund to help DACA. Donations will be accepted on site, too.
- DONATE NOW: Can’t make it to either of these fundraisers? You can still easily help. Please donate online (type “DACA” in last box for “Program.”) Every dollar counts.
All monies will be disbursed via two longtime Mission community-based organizations bettering young people’s lives: Mission Graduates, with a proven track record of getting neighborhood youth into college; and Jamestown Community Center, which helps youth develop and realize their full potential so they become productive members of the Mission.
Let’s take a united stand against this recent affront to our community’s future. It’s about fairness.
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For more information on donating, please contact MEDA’s Lucy Arellano: (415) 282-3334 ext. 141; larellano@medasf.org.
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