A Mahoning Valley organization held a community event focused on raising funds to provide legal aid for individuals involved with immigration cases in the area.
Thrive Mahoning Valley’s Immigration Law Clinic fundraiser took place on Wednesday, aimed at helping the organization bring on a full-time attorney and Department of Justice Representative.
During the event, Executive Director and Co-Founder Christopher Colón expressed the need immigrants of all ages have for legal aid.
“To help represent folks that might be getting their green card,” a work authorization, extending their stay after school as international students, or even go for citizenship,” Colón said.
Thrive Mahoning Valley Executive Director and Co-Founder, Christopher Colón
The organization’s website states that this clinic represents “an important step in expanding access to justice and strengthening the overall fabric of our community.”
The organization is supported through ongoing grants, donations and sponsors. On Wednesday, the goal of funds raised was $60,000, which Colón says they would likely achieve.
“We’ll be able to do educational programs throughout the community, whether it’s the general community or to organizations and to businesses that want to hire immigrants and refugees,” he said. “But also, we’ll be hiring an attorney and continuing education for one of our staff members to become a DOJ-accredited representative.”
Wednesday’s legal clinic fundraiser event featured a speech from Koula Glaros-King. King retired as a staff attorney with Community Legal Aid in Youngstown, who focused on immigration representation, and is currently a board member of Thrive Mahoning Valley.
Since King’s retirement, Colón says that anyone in need of an immigration attorney is required to travel to Cleveland, Akron or Pittsburgh.
Colón says that after the community asked Thrive Mahoning Valley to begin providing legal aid for immigrants, the Thrive team worked for two years to make it a reality.
225 people were in attendance at the event, which was Thrive’s first “large-scale” fundraiser since their launch in 2018.
“I’m so humbled, I didn’t think this was going to happen this way,” Colón said during the sold-out event. He also said that they plan to host the event annually.
The fundraiser took place at B&O Station in Youngstown.
Thrive Mahoning Valley has offices in both Youngstown and Warren.
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