Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, Ph.D., P.E., & Family Are Honored to Announce the Launch of The Space For Everyone Foundation

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas & Family, are honored to announce the Olivas Family, Space For Everyone Foundation.  A 501 (c) 3 with a mission to support the health and well-being of all children and families, regardless of where they call home.  In addition, the Foundation provides grants to organizations that provide legal resources for all children and families.  All are invited to join the Olivas family for a special launch event on January 5, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA, and encouraged to support Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the Witness Fund with donations and by showing support on social media.

"The strength of our great country comes from the diversity of her people.  As all of us who call ourselves Americans can attest, we are in this land because she has been the beacon of light to those fleeing oppression and seeking an opportunity to contribute.  The America we all know and love has embraced those from foreign lands, willing to leave their homeland, for an opportunity to better the lives of their children."  Noted Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, "Our family foundation was set up in direct response to the separation of families at the borders seeking asylum.  Marie and I were moved, not only because of our family heritage, but as a family with five children, witnessing the disastrous family separation tactics aimed at deterring immigrants legally seeking to have their claims heard by US courts, and knew we had to get involved.  The launch of the Foundation also serves as the next phase of our "Between Land and Sea - Borders From Space" Fundraising and Awareness Campaign we launched in 2018 to provide needed funds for legal representation to immigrants who had been separated from their families."

The Space For Everyone Foundation launch event will take place on Sunday, January 5, 2020 at the Performing Arts Center at Vistamar School, 737 Hawaii St. El Segundo, CA.  The general public event will begin at 6:00PM with a screening of the Award-Winning Witness at Tornillo, with featured witnesses Joshua and Melissa Rubin.  Immediately following the screening, there will be a panel discussion about the plight of the current southern border immigrant crisis.  The discussion will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize journalist, author and advocate Sonia Nazario and include a Q&A with Witness Josh Rubin, Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, Astronaut John Herrington, Astronaut Garrett Reisman and more. The event will be in collaboration with South Bay Cares, and will benefit Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the Witness Fund.  Full event details may be found below.

"Joshua Rubin is a national hero as he leads witnesses to document the incarceration of innocent immigrant children.  We are fortunate to have Joshua come to our community to educate and provide opportunities to assist in the fight to free children and reunite them with their families.  South Bay Cares has dedicated itself to educate, empower, and engage the community on these vital issues. South Bay Cares has provided an opportunity for the community to learn more from Joshua's first-hand experience," noted Marie Olivas.

"Our family is honored to have Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author and advocate Sonia Nazario moderate the panel discussion at our Space For Everyone launch event," commented Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, "her  remarkable book, Enrique's Journey, is perhaps the most read current book about immigrants in the U.S. today, and her tireless passion and dedication to helping immigrants, and specifically children, is extraordinary." 

Inspired by a deep sense of family history, a love of country, and a call to "do something", Danny and his wife Marie, traveled to El Paso, TX, with an initial goal to provide comfort to immigrant children being detained at the Tornillo facility.  After being denied access, the effort evolved into witnessing many other aspects about the immigration crisis.  The Olivas family was further inspired by the dedication of witnesses, such as Joshua and Melissa Rubin, who took it upon themselves to remain vigilant and document for the world, the conditions of the situation observable to an outsider.  Inspired by these selfless acts of humanity, Danny and Marie were moved to take their "Borders from Space" campaign to a new level and to establish the Olivas Family Space For Everyone Foundation, to fund organizations which directly impact the safety and well-being of children and families.

The Space For Everyone Foundation kick-off will also include a social media awareness and fundraising campaign in support of Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), to support their efforts and care for families, migrants, refugees, and vulnerable communities. 

Donations and more information: https://events.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.personalCampaign&participantID=5242

Updates to the Campaign will also be posted and updated on the "Olivas Border Blog" on Facebook at @fronteradelmarytierra, #SpaceForEveryone  www.SpaceForEveryone.com

Space For Everyone Foundation Launch Event Details:

About The Olivas Family Space For Everyone Foundation:
The Olivas Family Space For Everyone Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 with a mission to support the health & well-being of ALL children and families, regardless of where they call home. The Space For Everyone Foundation is dedicated to supporting all families seeking safe and healthy refuge, and advocates for the reunification of families who have been separated.  The Foundation provides grants to organizations who provide legal resources and opportunities, with an objective to support and carry on the finest of our collective American attributes – contribution, opportunity & inclusion. 
Information and updates: The "Olivas Border Blog" on Facebook @fronteradelmarytierra
#SpaceForEveryone  www.spaceforeveryone.com 

About Astronaut Olivas:
Astronaut John "Danny" Olivas, Ph.D., P.E. is a NASA Astronaut (Ret.), Mission Assurance Expert, Director of Space Initiatives, Author, Forensic Engineer, Proud American and a Descendant of Immigrants.  Dr. Olivas participated in space flights aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-117), and Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-128) to the International Space Station.  As the first person of Mexican-American heritage to walk in space, he completed 5 spacewalks and is the only person ever perform a repair to the exterior of the space shuttle. He is currently a forensic mechanical and materials engineering consultant in the legal and industrial communities.
www.AstronautDannyOlivas.com 

About Astronaut Herrington:
John Bennett Herrington is a retired United States Naval Aviator and former NASA Astronaut. During the STS-113 mission, on Space Shuttle Endeavour, to the International Space Station, Commander John B. Herrington (Chickasaw) became the world's first Indigenous Astronaut. Herrington has logged over 4,600 flight hours in over 30 different types of aircraft.  Currently he is a board member of AISES, Motivational Speaker and STEM Education advocate. Look for Astronaut Herrington starring in the film Into America's Wild, coming in 2020.
www.facebook.com/cdrjohnbherrington

About Astronaut Reisman:
Dr. Reisman was selected by NASA in 1998. His first mission was on the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-123), in 2008, with a 95 day mission on the International Space Station.  His second mission was on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-132), in 2010.  During these missions, Dr. Reisman performed 3 spacewalks, operated the Space Station Robot Arm and was a flight engineer aboard the Space Shuttle.  He served as a technical consultant for the film Ad Astra and is currently a technical advisor for the TV Show For All Mankind.  At present he is a Professor of Astronautical Engineering at USC, Motivational Speaker and Senior Advisor at SpaceX.
www.GarrettReisman.com | www.AstronautGarrettReisman.com | Follow @astro_g_dogg  

About Witness at Tornillo & Joshua Rubin:
Witness at Tornillo follows 66-year-old Josh Rubin from Brooklyn, an activist who has become a fixture of the #FamiliesBelongTogether protests. He helped draw national attention to the Tornillo facility, moving on from there to a similar youth detention facility in Homestead, Florida. Rubin defines witnessing -- the "radical act of seeing" -- as a key form of protest.     
Film:    https://www.tugg.com/titles/witness-at-tornillo
Blog:    Witness: Tornillo. Target: MPP https://www.facebook.com/groups/339957239906299
Donate:  Witness: Tornillo. Target: MPP          https://www.gofundme.com/f/witness-tornillo-homestead

About Sonia Nazario:
Sonia Nazario is an award-winning journalist whose stories have tackled some of this country's most intractable problems — hunger, drug addiction, immigration — and have won some of the most prestigious journalism and book awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. She was also a finalist for a third Pulitzer, in Public Service. 

Sonia Nazario's book, Enrique's Journey, is perhaps the most read current book about immigrants in the U.S. today.  She is currently a contributing opinion writer for the NYTimes on immigration and refugee issues and has covered children coming alone to the US for 20 years, and as a witness, has personally made a three month journey on top of freight trains with children up the length of Mexico in 2000 and 2003. She also has personally gone into detention centers like Tornillo, operated by HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement, and continues to follow what goes on inside of them since 2003.

Sonia Nazario also serves on the board of Kids In Need of Defense, started by Microsoft and Angelina Jolie, a non-profit organization in the US that recruits pro bono attorneys to represent immigrant children in court.  www.supportkind.org

For more information on Sonia Nazario please visit:   www.enriquesjourney.com

Follow:            Facebook: @AuthorSoniaNazario       Twitter: @SLNazario               Instagram:  @sonialnazario

About Carbon Trace Productions:
Carbon Trace Productions is a Missouri non-profit media organization dedicated to educating college students about the art of filmed and multimedia documentaries. Students learn to tell stories of compelling social importance without regard to commercial potential. Carbon Trace Productions specializes in working with, and telling stories about, humanitarian organizations, other non-profits, and NGOs. The team is proud of its work to highlight the people putting their bodies on the line to witness the incarceration of asylum-seeking children at the border. Tax-deductible donations to Carbon Trace help us continue this important work.
Donate: http://carbontrace.net

About Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF):
Doctors Without Borders, French Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is an International humanitarian group dedicated to providing medical care to people in distress, including victims of political violence and natural disasters. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical and mental health care to migrants and refugees in Mexico who are on their way north, and to victims of violence in some of the country's most dangerous cities. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/mexico

About South Bay Cares:
The vision of the founders of South Bay Cares, a 501 (c) 3, was to create a group of like-minded individuals that builds connections, and takes positive action on a variety of issues rooted in social and political causes. These causes include immigration, women's rights, education, health care and other important issues on the national political stage that profoundly affect peoples' day-to-day lives.  www.southbaycares.com

Contact:
Annie Balliro
9176741249
230979@email4pr.com

SOURCE The Space For Everyone Foundation