About This Project
We may have a Democrat in the White House, but the humanitarian crisis at our border continues. In the midst of a global pandemic, asylum seekers are spending years in truly inhumane detention centers, or are forced to stay in dangerous camps across the Mexican border. Even those that are permitted to enter the US during case processing are left with little to no support for the confusing and lengthy process. This is an emergency on a scale that we cannot tackle as individuals.
Community Asylum Seekers Project was born in 2016 to respond to the escalating crisis, and has since supported 17 asylum seekers with everything from housing and medical care to community education. Our wonderful network of volunteers makes this all possible, but our work grows every year, and our team needs to grow with it.
Every asylum seeker we support has their own team of volunteers that can be tapped in for various kinds of support. This system works great, but requires considerable coordination. In addition to the pre-existing need to increase our capacity to meet ever growing need, we are also working with the Ethiopian Community Development Council to help resettle refugees in Brattleboro this coming fall, which will push CASP in new and exciting ways. To ensure that everyone CASP works with gets the best possible support from our community, we are aiming to hire for a new position within CASP- An Outreach Coordinator. In addition to handling fundraising, they will be taking on everything volunteer related: recruitment, onboarding, training, and providing consistent, crucial, ongoing support for you, the community members who make this work possible.
If we’re going to make this happen, we need to raise more than we ever have before. That’s where you come in! Please contribute what you can, and share this fundraiser with your friends, family, and community. You can also support us by becoming a monthly sustaining donor, which allows us to budget accordingly.
Thank you for your continued support as we come together to provide safety and security to our growing community. You can find out more about us at caspvt.org.
Photo credit to Scott Nicol
Video credit to Jacklyn Bunch
Use Of Funds
$10,000 Tipping Point Goal
Our tipping point, $10,000, covers the initial costs of bringing on an Outreach Coordinator. This would allow us to create new programming to recruit and support volunteers that make our work possible. Now to our stretch goal!
$20,000 Stretch Goal
If we reach this goal, we will be able to cover the expense of hiring an Outreach Coordinator. This would be a massive boost for our work, and will enable better support for asylum seekers, as well as provide more resources for our volunteers that step up in solidarity.
Latest News
Aug 31, 2021
And We've Done It!
We've reached our stretch goal of $20,000, more than we've ever done before. The news came through at journey's end, and we owe it all to you. Because of your support, we can extend our help to more asylum seekers and carry on with our mission.
Thank you from all of us.
Aug 19, 2021
Matching Funds?
Yes! Having completed the first leg of the journey, The Community Asylum Seekers Project has just now learned that a national donor organization has set aside $10,000 as a matching grant for the second leg of our fundraising adventure. But our success depends on you. If you haven’t donated, doing so now means your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar until we reach that $10,000 threshold.
And if you have donated, this is the time to contact all those friends and family who might share this adventure with you. This is our best chance yet to make magic -- to turn $10 to $20, $100 to $200. So, let’s sprinkle some star-dust and save some lives!
Aug 18, 2021
We've reached the tipping point!
We’ve finished the first leg of our journey!
Yes! The Community Asylum Seekers Project has completed the first leg of our StartSomeGood fundraising adventure. Let’s celebrate!
Because of you -- your generosity and support -- CASP will be able to carry on its work. Because of you, we’ve “tipped the tipping point”, and we’re tucking away $10,000 and more in pledges, stuffing our sea chest with the doubloons needed to shelter and support our asylum-seeking crowd for a time. And, yes, because of you, we can turn our attention to others stranded at our borders; we can steady our little ship, and offer berths to more frightened families.
But before we turn our attention to the future, let’s take a moment to raise a glass to what’s been done. To you and your support! Bless you, mate!
Aug 16, 2021
August 16
The wind's at our back, all sails set, and we're headed to port with three-quarters of our do-or-die catch netted. Thank you, crew, you're doing yeoman's work, and if we all pull together we'll make safe harbor for sure!
Aug 12, 2021
Halfway there!
We’ve officially passed the halfway point to $10,000, our tipping point. Where we stand, it’s seeming very realistic that we’ll be able to take the initial steps to expand in the fall. That said, we need to keep the pace up to stay on track. We know many of you have already contributed. That’s why we’re asking for a little extra support in spreading the word. Please share your story of why you choose to support CASP, and send this link to your friends, family, and greater community.
Aug 09, 2021
Week 2: Help spread the word
One week into our summer fundraiser, and you’ve helped us raise over $4,500, keeping us right on track to hit our goal of $20,000 by the end of August. If we can keep this pace going, we could just about hit our tipping point by next week, which would allow us to expand our paid staff to meet the growing needs of asylum seekers in the Brattleboro Area.
We’re so grateful for your generous support, and we have a little more to ask of you! We need to get the word out. Whether or not you’re able to financially support our work, you probably know someone who is appalled at the humanitarian crisis at the border. Think of a family member, a friend, or a community that you could share CASP’s work with, and ask them to support our growth! If you’ve already contributed, consider sharing why you felt led to support us. If you have yet to contribute, ask a friend to match your donation!
We’re shooting for $9,000 by next week, but we only can make it a reality with your help.
Aug 05, 2021
A very strong start!
In just a few days, you have already helped us raise over $3,000 to make sure we can continue sustainably meeting the needs of new Vermonters- Thank you! This is almost a third of the way to our fundraising tipping point, which would allow us to initially onboard a much needed Outreach Coordinator for the fall. We’re well on the way, and we’re aiming to hit $4,500 by the weekend. Can you pitch in or share this link, and help keep us on track?
