Valley local Natalie Jubrail will be running her first Los Angeles Marathon on March 16, to raise funds for the San Fernando Valley Refugee Children Center (RCC), a nonprofit organization where she works with children and families who have fled violence and hardship.
“As the daughter of immigrant parents, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by marginalized communities,” said Jubrail, whose parents immigrated from Mexico and Syria. “With the ongoing struggles surrounding immigration and the increasing number of children and families seeking safety, the work we do has never been more urgent.”
The center, located in North Hills, was started in 2015 by Pastor Fred Morris with three refugee children and two part-time staff members, as a response to the surge of unaccompanied minors arriving in unprecedented numbers at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
“We were seeing a lot of unaccompanied minors coming to live specifically in this area,” said Executive Director Mayra Medina-Núñez, “and they just needed that support group that would help them transition to life in the United States.”
In 2018 the center officially became a nonprofit, and under Medina-Núñez’s leadership, has become a lifeline for immigrant minors and their families.
“They were coming with no knowledge of how life worked here in the States,” she said, “and the unaccompanied minors didn’t have a strong support system. So the center was born to tackle those issues.”
With “zero-tolerance” practices implemented during President Donald Trump’s first administration, where migrant children were separated from their parents or guardians, the center decided to extend its scope of services to include children’s relatives and caregivers traveling with them. They now serve minors and their caregivers, who have arrived in the United States within the past two years, and are seeking asylum or immigration relief.
The RCC Children and Families Department provides basic needs support, such as housing assistance, food, clothing and diapers. However, the center’s impact extends beyond immediate needs, providing mental health resources and counseling, crisis management support, legal guidance and educational programs, including English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
Medina-Núñez said the center takes a holistic approach to its services.
“Families, children, need social services. They need legal resources. They need basic needs. They also need to have spaces where they can feel safe and really be children,” she said.
Jubrail helps migrant families navigate life in a new country through her role as the Children and Families program coordinator.
“It’s very overwhelming and can be difficult [for them], especially when you don’t know the language,” said Jubrail, adding that she enjoys “being that helping guide, making sure that they feel safe and protected – because this is a safe space for them and their children.”
Born and raised in the valley, Jubrail emphasized the importance of RCC’s location in serving the large immigrant population residing here.
“All of the resources are in Los Angeles,” she said. “It’s just vital for people to know that we’re here and that we exist, because there are so many immigrants who need resources and help in the valley, and oftentimes don’t have access to public transportation or don’t have a car, and it’s very difficult to get to downtown and access those resources.”
Providing that safe space for immigrant families has become even more pressing given the current Trump administration’s threats of mass deportations.
Jubrail said many families have been expressing fear and uncertainty about their futures, which also transmits to the children.
“One reassuring thing throughout this time has been just being able to continue educating the population,” said Jubrail. “Information is power, and as long as they know their rights, they can protect themselves.”
The center has been providing “Know Your Rights” presentations, distributing Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC) Red Cards and providing guidance on preparing emergency plans for families and children in a worst-case scenario.
“This is nothing new… but it’s felt more this time,” said Medina-Núñez. “A lot of the communities that we serve fled their place for a reason, right? There was a fear that pushed them to leave their homelands. And now, having that potential threat of going back is really scary.”
The center’s mission, she said, is to exist “as a place of hope, as a place of healing, for families and children who are not problems, who are not numbers, who are humans. And as humans, they deserve dignity and empathy.”
Medina-Núñez said she is encouraged by Jubrail “going above and beyond” to use her hobby outside work to further support that mission.
Jubrail is hoping to raise $2,000 that will go directly to help sustain RCC’s food program.
“A lot of our participants suffer from food insecurity, and it’s oftentimes difficult for us to be able to continue with the food program without funding,” said Jubrail. “This would really help continue that program.”
Medina-Núñez added, “Whenever we have the opportunity to provide a meal here during our programs and services, it’s one meal less that they have to worry about.”
Jubrail has been consistently running for over a year and participated in the Santa Barbara half marathon in November. Since then she has been diligently training to run her first full 26.2-mile marathon.
“What’s been helping me train on days that I feel tired or not very motivated, is knowing that I’m doing it for the kids,” said Jubrail.
“I’m very excited to be doing this for the community,” she said. “It’s nerve-wracking, but I’m hopeful and excited!”
San Fernando Valley Refugee Children Center
Walk-in Hours: M-F 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
15435 Rayen St., North Hills, CA 91343
(747) 529-4783
To donate and support Natalie Jubrail’s marathon efforts, visit her fundraising page.
