By Nicole M.
The community came together once again to show their support for Syria with a fundraiser this past Saturday. The event helped to raise money for medical needs in Syria. The speaker of the night was Dr. Ihsan Mamoun, a board member of SAMS or Syrian American Medical Society. Dr. Marmoun spoke briefly about the needs of Syrians and how SAMS is helping to alleviate their suffering. A film was shown highlighting the current state of Syria, and the work of SAMS over the past two years while this crisis has continued. Also, a community group presented a short film depicting the crisis by artistically using a present day scene of children playing with a Lego city when suddenly, soldiers start trampling and breaking the city. The two children look at the destruction and begin to place the pieces back together.
One of the more touching statements that evening was by Dr. Othman Shibly, who himself is a Syrian expatriate. He commented that the deaths and killings since the last fundraiser have increased exponentially. The program from the year before was shown, to highlight this increase in loss of life. Although, a lot of grim facts were shared that evening, the intent was not only to raise awareness about the atrocities happening overseas, but also to raise money to help make a difference. The goal was to raise a staggering $43,000 that evening and the community has generously raised almost $50,000! In case you were unable to attend this worthy cause and would still like to contribute, please donate to the Syrian American Medical Soceity Foundation by clicking here.
