Welcome to the launch page for CASP’s April Arts Marathon!

After the most recent presidential election, CASP received the following note from one of the asylum seekers we support:
“Queremos agradecerte por apoyarnos y si no miento que tenemos muchos nervios pero todo está en manos de dios.”

“We want to thank you for supporting us and to be honest, we are very nervous, but everything is in God’s hands.”

Now more than ever we need creative ways to provide support for those who are fleeing violence and oppression in their home countries. The Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) is excited to bring this fundraiser and community builder to Southern Vermont. We invite artists of all kinds – painters, writers, poets, musicians, fabric and multimedia artists, sculptors, photographers and more – to take a stand for justice and join this fundraiser for the many asylum seekers we are supporting.

During April, the writers and artists who wish to participate will commit to practicing their art five days each week and pushing their creative work out to sponsors. The sky’s the limit – poems, essays, non-fiction, stories, sketches, paintings, photographs, fabric art, multimedia, music, multi-genre pieces – anything is possible. Create an original piece each day or create an accumulative art piece and share your progress every day!

The artists’ sponsors will commit to supporting and following the artists by pledging a donation to CASP. They will then receive copies of the artists’ work via our website,  email, Instagram, or in a blog five days each week in April.

All contributions will go towards supporting asylum seekers in Southern Vermont. CASP accompanies asylum seekers on their journey to building a safe and fulfilling life in the US. We help them navigate the lengthy—even indefinite—asylum process, which has now only become harder. Even so, our purpose has never felt clearer. We continue to show up for each asylum seeker seeking safety here, guided by the conviction that protection from violence and persecution is a human right that cannot be erased by changing administrations or political tides. We are preparing ourselves and our clients to navigate what further changes may come with dignity and support.

Supporting CASP isn’t going to solve all of the challenges of this moment, but it is something we can do. Through the April Arts Marathon, we can build our own community of resistance and be refreshed each day of April when we receive an artist’s work in our inbox.

This past year, CASP supported over 90 asylum seekers living in Southern Vermont who fled violence, war, and oppression in 16 countries. Many attend schools, language classes, training workshops, while others work in local businesses. Over 200 volunteers and several community organizations help ease the process of resettlement. Your support will help us continue our mission to build a safe, welcoming, and supportive community for asylum seekers in Southern Vermont.

Here are highlights from CASP’s work in 2025:

• Served a total of 93 clients from Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Sudan, Tibet, Venezuela, and Yemen.

• Supported 3 individuals in successfully achieving asylum status.

• Provided bond for one new client allowing them to be released from ICE detention.

• Sponsored 2 clients who were aging out of the program for unaccompanied minors through the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

• Provided housing, employment, continued learning, and/or case management services to 36 clients, of whom 7 were new clients in 2025.

• Supported 4 of our clients in applying for and receiving work authorization.

• Assisted 61 asylum seekers through pro se clinics, designed to provide individuals without legal representation with information needed to file their own immigration applications.

Please join us as an Artist or Sponsor and help us to continue this work! 

Questions about the Arts Marathon? Contact us at board@caspvt.org.