Cathy Angell and her husband Jim had been keeping up with the news coverage of the migrant crisis in Chicago. On Jan. 11, news organizations such as ABC7 Chicago and the Chicago Tribune were writing of migrants waiting in the ‘landing zone’ and using warming buses.
They knew they had to do something.
“I pulled together jackets and sandwiches and went to the buses just to do something. And I did it again outside the shelters,” Cathy Angell said.
Cathy Angell identifies herself as a grandchild of Italian immigrants. She remembers the stories her grandfather would tell her as she was growing up. Seeing and reading about the desperation in today’ buses and shelter places, the Angells said they “just felt called to help.”
Cathy Angell says “My husband and I, we just don’t care about the politics of it all. We understand that there’s all different points of view. But what we’re seeing are people that are already here.”
They began looking at fundraising and researching online about crowdfunding campaigns and how to ensure success. Starting their GoFundMe, the Angells seek to raise $15,000 to help house a migrant family. However, the Angells knew that they needed to partner with an organization that had the means to use the money they would raise. They knew Rev. Morello, a leader at the Catholic Parishes of Oak Park Migrant Ministry, and the Angells chose that organization to administer the money.
Jean Meister, Communications Coordinator for Migrant Ministry and for Oak Park Family Transitional Shelter, said that Migrant Ministry began last July. Opening up a little used rectory to provide a space for migrants, they began by offering showers twice a week. Then they distributed clothes and provided childcare so parents could meet with caseworkers. However, the number of migrants they were assisting grew.
“We realized this need was going to last for a long time and we started to look for a new location,” says Meister.
That location was the empty St. Edmund’s school. Through working with the village, they were able to open the Oak Park family transitional center, as the Wednesday Journal reported. Meister said that moving migrants in is the next step, which they plan to do next Tuesday. The shelter will last until June 30. Migrant Ministry and the Oak Park transitional shelter seek to support the transition of the migrants from hotel rooms to apartments.
“We have a great deal of trust in them,” Angell said. “We know that they’ll be great stewards of the money everyone donated.”
The Angells do not know the family that their fundraising will help. The chosen family depends on what families are in the position to be helped and on finding available apartments. The Angell’s were even discussing updating their GoFundMe page to reflect the possibility that the family the donations help may not be from the original migrant group.
After finishing the GoFundMe campaign, Cathy Angell said she will focus on more hands-on work and volunteering. She added that she hopes that Migrant Ministry and other organizations across the city will receive more attention and recognition.
“There are so many organizations that are helping and I think people need to hear that. Because what people usually see are the negatives,” Angell said.
