Archive for January, 2010
Help the BRESMA orphanage volunteers and their children
I just submitted this letter through WhiteHouse.gov. I had to truncate the quote from Ginny’s blog since the form is limited to 2500 characters. Consider submitting the letter yourself to see if we can get some response from the president. Or consider modifying the content and contact your senator.
Dear Mr. President and Madam First Lady—
I appreciate your fast response to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and urge you to grant temporary protected status to Haitian immigrants.
Please consider this one story of need which was brought to my attention by local Pittsburgh blogger, Virginia Montanez.
Jamie and Ali McMutrie are Ben Avon sisters who volunteer at the Brebis de Saint-Michel de L’Attalaye (BRESMA) orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Due to damage from the earthquake, their building is crumbling and they are currently living in makeshift shelter. They have been able to contact the U.S. Embassy and have been told that it is likely that they will receive safe passage home. However, they do not want to leave the children for whom they’ve worked so hart to finalize adoption papers.
Virginia writes,
Here is an email from the McMutrie clan:
[...] the more pressing issue is that the orphans are essentially abandoned right now. because of the massive upheaval in Haiti, the adoption process has pretty much stopped. these children are in the process of being adopted, but they are now in a state of limbo, so to speak. [...] the most pressing issue has become getting the children safely home. what we need now more than anything is for the government here, in the US, to grant the children some sort of temporary refugee status so that they can come home and be with the families that are waiting for them. [...] what we need are connections, string pulling at the highest levels of government. this is a tall order. but without some sort of intervention these kids will literally just be abandoned. there is no other hope for them.
Mr. and Mrs Obama, how can the United States government come to these young women and children’s aid? They are U.S. citizens and near U.S. citizens. Their families and almost families want them to come home. I urge you to be friends and partners to these courageous people by extending direct assistance today.
Please get them out of Haiti.
References:
“Love and Haiti”, Pittsburgh Magazine, Google Cache: http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/January-2009/Love-and-Haiti/
“Not Acceptable”, That’s Church, http://thatschurch.com/2010/01/13/not-acceptable/
“It’s Getting Real Bad”, That’s Church, http://thatschurch.com/2010/01/13/its-getting-real-bad/
UPDATE:
Ginny’s working tirelessly for this cause. Keep up with her progress by following her on Twitter @JanePitt.
There is also a Facebook group you can follow that gives you all the specifics for contacting Arlen Specter. (Bob Casey reported already on board.)
