Around the world, Valentine’s Day represents a day of love and friendship, a day spent with those closest to you. But for many unaccompanied minors in federal custody in Virginia, this day is a sad reminder of loved ones far away and the overall loneliness of detention. Whether they are fleeing a past ridden with gang violence, child abuse or exploitation, many of these children are in the United States with no parent or legal guardian. In addition, most are coming from Mexico or Central American countries plagued by poverty and a history of civil war.
On Valentine’s Day, the Detained Children’s Program spread the love to unaccompanied minors at the three juvenile detention facilities in Virginia. Each child received an individualized, handmade Valentine cards made by members of the community. The creative card makers included parents and children from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling, Virginia, as well as a team of 1st graders from the Daisy Troop Girl Scouts and the Countryside and Algonkian Elementary schools in Sterling, Virginia. These volunteers dedicated their time to designing and putting together nearly one hundred red and pink cards, with inspirational and hopeful bilingual messages to the children such as, “Thinking of you/Pensando en ti,” “You are important/Usted es importante,” and “Happy day of friendship/Feliz dia de amistad.”
These colorful and thoughtful notes will certainly make each child feel special because they will know that someone nearby is thinking of them. Thank you to everyone who participated in this project!
