Ahart Family’s Act of Compassion Demonstrates Spirit of the Season
A heartwarming story out of Des Moines, Iowa shows how one family has decided to make a difference in the life of a young girl whose parents were recently deported.
As the Des Moines Register highlights in a new video and article, school Superintendent Thomas Ahart and his wife, Jami Bassman Ahart, invited a local student to live with them and complete her education, after her parents were deported to Guatemala. In consultation with her family, Jennifer Galdames gladly agreed.
Jennifer has dreams of finishing high school and going on to college. Her own immigration case proceeds on a separate track from her parents’, and she and the Aharts are hopeful that she will have a future in the United States.
As Jami said:
I want [Jennifer] to be able to go to college. I want her to get a good education, so that she has options and opportunities for her life to do what she wants. I want her to complete her citizenship, so that she never has to look over her shoulder again.
Said Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director of America’s Voice Education Fund:
The Aharts are demonstrating the spirit of the season. This past year we have seen a lot of ugly rhetoric and actions towards immigrants. But, we have also seen beautiful acts of kindness like this, and stronger engagement from Americans who are alarmed by what is happening. The Aharts’ example is inspiring and part of a nationwide trend that offers much hope for the future.
Read the article and watch the full interview with Thomas, Jami, and Jennifer here from the Des Moines Register.
