​​From the Journal of Executive Director Patrick Kearns
February 18, 2026
Following the news on immigration over the past year has been tough. Policies at the national level have created real pain, confusion, and instability in our community and in communities across the country. These stories and policy changes have rightfully drawn the attention of the American public. And inside of all of this, there is and always has been another story. Joy.
One recent afternoon, I walked down from my office to the kitchen. Sitting at the table, one of our program managers was across from an 8th grader we've known for years. She goes to school at Urban Community School and lives at the Hope Ignites girls' dorm. Her grades came out recently: all As and Bs. A year ago, this was a very different situation. Through the consistency and compassion of our staff, a story that could have been defined by hardship turned into a future of promise.
Next to her, a program specialist, a young woman who is a student at CSU and was recently selected to serve on the Mayor's Youth Council, was going over the evening plan with our group of youth mentees. A few mentors had arrived early and were getting set up in the learning lab. It was also a night of skiing and snowboarding for our Corner65 program. The halls began to fill with kids we've known for years, and some who are brand new. Together, they helped load 50 bags of winter equipment onto the bus.
Our bus driver, Albert, was in the hallway doing a final check before heading out. Albert is a father and a pastor who joined Re:Source a few years ago as a van driver. Last year, he completed his school bus driver training with Urban Community School and now drives for both the school and Re:Source as full-time work. He was standing next to boxes of rice, beans and cooking oil that his wife, Aline, who works with us on Ohio City Farm, had packed that morning. Each Tuesday, she and another farm team member, Tantine, deliver food to families who have lost their SNAP benefits, including the families of many of our mentees, skiers, and snowboarders.
While Albert was waiting, Thomas and Augustin were grabbing plywood from the front porch, loading it into the back of our GMC pickup, and driving out to help Tantine and Aline after the farm van got stuck in deep mud as a result of the thawing weather during a delivery. The van was heavy and needed a tow truck. By the time it arrived, it was 6pm and only two of the 22 deliveries had been completed. Tantine and Aline kept going until 10pm. It was the first night of Ramadan, and this was our halal delivery route. They wanted to make sure these families had food they could cook and eat before dawn on the next day, when fasting began.
Then someone knocked on the back door and came in looking for our team member Mohammad. She was dropping off a donated vehicle through our Wheels to Work program. This was car #37, and it was going to a young Ukrainian student who had been in our Teen Response program and is now attending Tri-C while receiving support through our Bridges program, which now has an office on the Tri-C Western Campus.
More mentees arrived as our second van pulled up. One of our 7th graders, someone we've known for years, came in and went around the room saying hello to everyone by name, until she reached one person and said, "But I don't know you." That was Naila Paul, who served as our Director of Education from 2015 to 2023. Naila has recently returned to Cleveland and to Re:Source to lead our Operation Green Card program. She was taking a break from a spreadsheet being used to schedule over 250 individuals for their green card medical checks and legal appointments, ensuring each person is in compliance with the evolving policies around immigration status. Every one of these individuals will have an attorney of record able to support their application all the way through to completion, in partnership with the team at IMAGO, the immigration legal team at Building Hope in the City.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen a tremendous outpouring of support from long-time friends of the organization as well as many first-time donors. This generosity is allowing us to cover the legal costs for all 250+ green card applications, not only because the urgency of submission is real, but because it matters deeply that there is no financial barrier for families who have recently lost their SNAP benefits and will lose Medicaid coverage in October 2026.
In the middle of a challenging time, it is critical to recognize and hold onto the joy this work brings. The joy of watching kids from Ukraine to the Congo prove they can zip down a frozen hill on skis. The joy of being together in a kitchen full of laughter and hope. The joy of being able to help, even in tough times, to lighten the burden for families feeling confused and uncertain in this new America we are all navigating together.