My name is Madelyn Kye and I'm contacting you from the office of the Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance (ERICA). Thank you for your past donations to ERICA’s annual Silent Auction. We hope you will join us this year in celebration of the hope and fortitude of immigrant newcomers in Baltimore. 

ERICA has been providing unique programs of family reunification, housing, educational workshops, and individualized problem solving for those fleeing conflict, persecution, and poverty from all corners of the world for more than 20 years. This year, we will hold our annual fundraiser and silent auction on September 16. Would you consider this opportunity to support our work  by donating to our silent auction?

ERICA’s annual fundraising event strengthens our direct services to the local refugee and asylum seeker community. We also hope that the auction will help promote your business and encourage customers to re-engage with local businesses as we emerge from the pandemic. Our goal is to continue to reach more supporters and raise a total of $12,000.

Because of support from individual donors and businesses such as yours, ERICA saw many achievements since our last event in June 2021. We even launched a new initiative called Pathways to College, a program serving newly arrived humanitarian youth who were either college students at the time they had to flee their homes or were about to enroll in college. Pathways to College will offer (1) pro bono college guidance, (2) connections to colleges and universities with a humanitarian interest in international diversity, capacity to finance it, and a strong student support system, and (3) ERICA funding for short term intensive language study to ensure readiness for college level academic work in English. This program has already been a game changer for four young Afghan women, three of whom have received full scholarships at Maryland colleges and one of whom is a candidate for a scholarship at another. Furthermore, in 2022, we are working to increase housing options for asylum seekers, expand our relationships with community partners, and secure grant support for strategic capacity building. Your participation in the silent auction will help ensure we reach these goals!

I believe that even our smallest actions make a difference. Through your gift, you can make a remarkable impact on the lives and trajectories of some of the most vulnerable citizens of the world who have chosen Baltimore as their new home.  

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of our request.