Kristen Bell And Liz Flahive Team With Immigrant Families Together To Reunite Mothers With Children At Border
Kristen Bell and GLOW co-showrunner Liz Flahive are not only talented in entertainment but also are all-around good people. The pair teamed up to work with Immigrant Families Together (IFT) to help reunite eight mothers with their children. According to the website, IFT “is a network of Americans committed to rapid response unification of families separated by the ‘zero tolerance’ policy.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Flahive was first to step in early to help coordinate a cross-country driver for one mother’s trip from Arizona to Miami. Flahive also connected Tony-nominated producer Brian Swibel to IFT who donated to the cause. Thanks to the Xanadu producer’s donation, the mother Flahive helped was released from detention and reunited with her family. Swibel already planned on helping out prior to Flahive reaching out to him, but her reach out was just the push he needed. “This effort will not be complete until each family has been reunited and healed, and our country can come to terms with how we allowed ourselves to get to this point and make the necessary changes to correct course,” Swibel explained to THR.
Flahive is a mother of two herself and so this cause is close to her heart. She strives to do as much as she possibly could, she explains. “I think like many other people, I’ve been trying to find a way to do more. The issue of family separation at the border feels extremely personal.”
Many members of Hollywood are jumping in to help and Kristen Bell is the latest. On her 38th birthday she donated the final $4,457 needed to help successfully post another mother’s bond from the Arizona detention center. She posted a video on her Instagram explaining a little bit as to why she donated. “What I really wanted for my birthday was a peaceful feeling,” Bell said in the video. “If you would also like a peaceful feeling feel free to click the link in my bio and we can help family number 9.” Since the posting on Bell’s Instagram to help the ninth family, the GoFundMe reached the $30,000 goal.
IFT was founded in late June by Julie Schwietert Collazo to help one mother reunite with her children. Schwietert Collazo set up a GoFundMe to help aid that mother who has since been released. The one cause transformed into a nationwide organization, helping eight families be reunited together. In less than a month, the group has reunited eight mothers with their children and raised a total of $284,609 from multiple GoFundMe campaigns.
To Join Flahive, Swibel, and Bell, donate to the cause by heading over to Immigrant Families Together’s website and see the latest family and GoFundMe you can help.
