Fab Philanthropists

Timothy Chen

Board chair of Advocates for Immigrants in Detention Northwest (AIDNW). “In addition to volunteering with AIDNW since the earliest days, I am currently a Court Appointed Advocate for children that have been placed into child protective services. As an advocate for the child, I provide the presiding judge a third source of information on the child.”

What causes are you most passionate about and why? I’m most passionate about our work with AIDNW, having had the experience of living and traveling in Central and South America. I believe that people do not leave familiar surroundings on a whim but out of desperation. AIDNW is only able to provide assistance to those immigrant detainees that have at the least the possibility of remaining in this very wealthy country. My volunteer work with the Court Appointed Advocates program is a small contribution to hopefully ensure a better future for a child that for whatever reason has come into the care of the government. Children are our collective future. Every child should have the opportunity to be raised in a healthy and joyful environment. I am a believer in helping in small ways, one person at a time. My volunteer work with our Episcopal Church parish not only supports my religious faith, but hopefully ensures the availability of this house of worship for future generations.

In what ways do you give back to the community? AIDNW is an offshoot of a group of concerned individuals that gathered together informally in the library of Christ Episcopal Church. The gathering has continued through a bi-monthly Community Meeting which pre-COVID was held at St. Leo’s parish hall. Currently, as a Zoom webinar, AIDNW continues to support the presentation from organizations that support the immigrant/refugee community. The most recent presentation was a staff lawyer from the Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project (NWIRP).

If someone is new to nonprofit or volunteer work, how do you recommend they get started? It is my experience that there is always a need for individuals that are willing to volunteer their time, talent and/or treasure. As we go through life, most of us start with lots of time, then in mid-life we have talent; finally, we may have all three which can be shared with others less fortunate. It is my hope that many of us feel the need to give back. Opportunities to offer your time, talent and/or treasure can be found based upon the individual’s passion. My preference is stay local, though we do support national and international causes with our treasure.

How can readers support your favorite causes? AIDNW is funded 100 percent through donations from individuals and private organizations. There are many ways to donate that can be found on the AIDNW website. In addition, the work of the organization is supported by over 200 dedicated volunteers and a small paid staff. Dedicated volunteers provide the person-to-person assistance to immigrant detainees held in the NW ICE Processing Center and upon release. These front-line volunteers are supported by the many volunteers that perform the necessary office work, fundraising, communications, financial planning, governance and outreach. As an example, if you have writing talents and a modest amount of time, we have many projects that you can assist with. The mission of AIDNW could not be accomplished with the many hours freely given by the AIDNW volunteers. Join us; the adrenaline rush that comes with assisting a fellow human being that is in a very difficult situation feeds the soul.

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