Honored Persons

Diane Boehm

"I have lived in the United Stated just about my entire life. This is a country made up of refugees and immigrants. On both sides of my family, my grandparents, from both Russia and Austria, came in the 1890's. On my mother's side, my grandmother and her family were fleeing the pogroms in Russia. They found safety here in the US. My parents, Robert and Frances Boehm, were champions both of human rights and social justice, and saw that helping those who need to start a new life in a new country is both a privilege and an honor to do. They worked to do this through many organizations they were a part of, I. e. Center for Constitutional Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and the Lawyers Guild to name just a few. In my early adult life, I traveled for 3 years in Europe and also Asia (Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal, as well as Austria and England). I could not have done this without the help from giving people along the way. I learned the value of how significant those "little acts of kindness" are. That is a part of what APC does in its work aiding refugees. As a Physical Therapist at NY Foundling Hospital, I worked with children from various countries, who had not only medical challenges but complicated immigration status as well. One little girl from Mexico who had lost both parents to HIV AIDS only had a grandmother in NY who did not have legal status in the US. Therefore, the child could not be released to her relative until legal status was obtained, which finally did occur after a number of years. There was another child born in the US whose parents and sister were born in Haiti. They could visit her for a short period and then had to leave her to return to Haiti. Incidents like these have sensitized me as well as my own travel experiences. I could assist people fleeing from violence, war, ethnic cleansing, political oppression, seeking medical help. Therefore, the work APC does in assisting refugees is one that speaks to my principles of aiding, of assisting, of helping, of supporting children, unaccompanied minors, adults and elderly during their time of transition and need."