A Year in Review - 2018
5 years of transformation later
“I’m really thrilled to talk with you today and remember the time when Beyond had its 5-year anniversary. We were so thrilled to reflect on how Beyond Legal Aid had grown. It had grown from just one staff member to 18, and one community partner to 15, in just [5] years.”, said Elizabeth Arumilli, current Beyond Legal Aid Board President and Board Member since 2016.
Graphic used to celebrate CALA’s 5th anniversary.
This month, we highlight 2018, a year etched in our memories for one very special reason: we celebrated our 5th anniversary! A significant achievement showcasing Beyond’s resilience and success in navigating its foundational phase. Please take a second to view the celebratory video from Elizabeth below. Our purpose and core remain the same—we are still there for communities like we were five years ago—but Beyond looks and acts very different: better and beyond where we were.
We would be honored to have your support for our 10-year anniversary campaign to help us celebrate such an incredible milestone!
Click the above photo to watch Beyond Board President, Elizabeth Arumilli’s celebratory video.
Another impactful memory from 2018, is a gut-wrenching story about a community member named Sergio who was wrongfully detained. Sergio, an undocumented artist from Mexico, and his husband, David—a citizen of the United States—lived peacefully in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood for many years. But in 2017, Sergio was pressured by an attorney to plead guilty in a criminal case. As a result of his coerced guilty plea, Sergio was imprisoned at McHenry County detention facility from January 2018 to March 2019. During his 13-month detention, Sergio did not receive sufficient medical care and was subject to unsanitary living conditions, leading to severe physical and psychological distress. David said, “I can’t explain how hard is to sit at home, helplessly, watching the man I love being eroded by such cruelty; having to fight with everything in him every day, for simple human dignity.”
After nearly a year of detention, Sergio and David received a referral to the Vietnamese Association of IL; a nonprofit in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago—a few blocks from their home. David walked to VAI’s Community Empowerment Legal Clinic to meet with a CALA attorney. On December 13, 2018, Sergio’s attorneys at CALA successfully vacated his conviction in the Circuit Court of Cook County, less than 24 hours before his scheduled deportation. Sergio’s criminal record no longer displays a felony conviction, and the underlying basis for his mandatory detention was removed. After his release, Sergio returned to the art studio. Though free, the psychological distress Sergio endured in isolation continues. He said, “the work that CALA has done to get me out of detention, that was the most empowering part, knowing that they were in constant communication with my husband.”
Sergio & David; community members from 2018, when CALA attorneys stopped Sergio’s deportation less than 24 hours before the flight.
Keep an eye out for 2019’s highlight, another monumental year in Beyond’s history, coming next month! Be sure to also compare each month’s “Year in Review” graphic (below) to see how much we’ve grown over the years. We could not have had 10 years of success without supporters like you, please make a contribution to and spread the word about the campaign.
