Each year, Acts of Change brings our JCUA community together for a night of celebration — where we toast to our collective impact and recommit to the work of building a more just future. On Wednesday, June 11, join us at the beautiful Lacuna Lofts in Pilsen for Acts of Change: For A Welcoming Future.
During this year’s event, we’ll dig deep into the local, state, and national fights for immigration justice. We’ll spotlight JCUA’s organizing across the region and honor HIAS President Mark Hetfield and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).
Tickets and sponsorships are on sale now!
Rabbi Marx Award — Mark Hetfield
Mark Hetfield first joined HIAS as a refugee caseworker in Rome, Italy, to assist Soviet Jews applying to immigrate to the United States as refugees. He has worked for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a large law firm as an immigration attorney, and has held multiple roles at HIAS over the years. Named HIAS’ President and CEO in 2013, Mark led the transformation of HIAS as an international nonprofit that used to help refugees because they were Jewish to one that helps refugees because we are Jewish.
Miriam Award — ICIRR
Since 1986, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has been dedicated to organizing immigrant communities, winning pro-immigrant policies at all levels of government, and building alliances across communities to build power so that all people have the opportunity to thrive. JCUA has been proud to be part of the ICIRR coalition since 2017, working in partnership to advance justice and dignity for immigrants across Illinois.
