Members of AYLUS Syosset and Dix Hills worked together to sort and organize large amounts of donated items and packaged them into large packing boxes in order to be donated to an organization that gathers relief items to send to Turkey and Syria, UCODA (United Community Oriented Development Association). Items donated include tents, blankets, sleeping bags, mats, chairs, heaters, generators, portable restrooms, flashlights, medicine, shoes, clothes, baby products, hygiene products, toiletries, food packages, cooking supplies, propane tanks and much more. Many members of AYLUS Syosset contributed by buying new blankets and sleeping bags to donate. Participants who donated include: Alyssa Huang, Alan Huang, Jessica Albrecht, Leo Cheng, Jasmine Chen, Haoyu Qiu, Tommy Haotian Tang and Sophia Lin. Members prioritized boxing heavy coats, jackets, sweaters, blankets and tents as we recognized the importance for the victims of the earthquake to stay warm. Both old and new items were donated.
The Kahramanmaras earthquake was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria on February 6th, 2023. It was the first earthquake that was as devastating as it was in over 20 years. The earthquake impacted nearly 350,000 square kilometers and at least 14 million residents in Turkey were affected, leaving an estimated 1.5 million homeless. Over 52,700 deaths have been confirmed. Thousands of aftershocks continued to hit and kill people weeks following. It has been estimated that reparation costs will be at least 84.1 billion USD in Turkey and 5.1 billion USD in Syria. Fortunately, ports along the Turkey-Syria border opened for UN aid delivery. It is important for communities, no matter how far away, to help as much as they can in times of crisis.
Members participated include:
Alyssa Huang (4.5h), Jessica Albrecht (4h), Alan Huang (1h), Leo Cheng (1h), Jasmine Chen (1h), Haoyu Qiu (1h), Tommy Haotian Tang (1h) and Sophia Lin (1h).
