We are grateful to announce The Cyndy Levy Fund for Justice to honor our dear friend and founding board member of Arise. In furtherance of Cyndy's firmly held belief that all people deserve justice, our inaugural year will focus on preventing and helping folks escape trafficking.

Cyndy was passionate about connecting people and fully entering into life in other cultures and languages. She had a passion for social justice and anti-racism and advocated for asylum-seekers and refugees. In high school, Cyndy had 32 pen pals from around the world. She participated in a student exchange program in Germany after high school, which changed her life. She lived and “passed” as German in Germany, then adopted the French language and culture before returning to the US. Besides being fluent in English, French, and German, she continued to study languages and became proficient in Spanish, eventually being able to communicate in Haitian Creole and Dutch.

During COVID, she went back to school online at Villanova University to study immigration law. She helped reunite families separated at the border and assisted Afghan evacuees and others seeking asylum. Cyndy joined forces with Jenn Bulcock, Kim Betz, and Jen White to form Arise Immigration Services, where she created curriculum content, taught other advocates, provided pro bono services, and much more.

Cyndy was a lifelong learner. She took up tap dancing at Foulkeways and taught and performed in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.

Thank you, Cyndy, for changing lives and inspiring us to keep going, collaborating, and fighting for justice!

https://www.ariseimmigration.org/