This Mother’s Day, as I celebrated the memory of my own mother, it occurred to me that, for me, Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) is also The ILC Day. That’s because I created The Immigrant Learning Center to help parents like my own who struggle to make a good life for their children in this country.
Although my mother was from Poland and Rachida is from Morocco, I see in them both the desire to offer their children a better life.
Rachida left behind friends and her career to build a new life in the United States. To give her family a better life, however, she needed to learn English, and to ensure that she could stay with her family permanently, she needed to become a U.S. citizen.
With the support of The ILC English and Citizenship classes, Rachida learned English, obtained her driver’s license and, just three days before Mother’s Day, became a citizen. One of the things she is most proud of is being able to take her son to the hospital and communicate with his doctors, something many mothers can take for granted. Most importantly, now that she is a citizen, she no longer has to worry about being forced to leave the country of her son’s birth.
Every mother wants their children to have good health, an education and a bright future, and our student mothers are no exceptions. The classes that your donations fund enable them to provide these things for their children. Thank you for all that you do to empower The ILC’s students and their families.
Diane Portnoy
Founder and CEO
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc.