I grew up with many family members who came here from other countries, who brought with them loss and tragedy but also courage and hope. Over the years I was able to deeply appreciate how integral their journeys were to who they were, to who I am. The Center for New Americans serves immigrants in Western MA, by providing a broad range of support services. 30 Poems in November! is a literary fundraiser similar to a walkathon, in that we ask friends and family to sponsor us for the month, or per poem written, to help Center for New Americans maintain its powerful ability to educate and assist immigrants. This endeavor combines two passions of mine - wanting to impact change in the backlash against immigrants that has become an unacceptable prevalence in our country and challenging myself to write a poem a day for 30 days towards this cause.