A breathtakingly beautiful blood-orange sunrise filled the gloomy sky and dissipated the dreary morning atmosphere. It perfectly mirrored the warm emotions that washed over us as we anticipated the start of our mission. Seconds later, that same intense color contrast would trigger a completely different set of emotions in our inexperienced minds. Out the windows to our left, life vests littered the beaches of the stunning Mediterranean island, and a boat of refugees emptied onto the shore. It just got real. It was a human moment, and just the kind of image we needed to remind us of the gravity of the situation. The word “refugee” feels too detached to use as a moniker for the people in need, and that is what they are, people. Humans, just like us, in a struggle far deeper than most of us reading this will ever encounter. Not only do we want to raise awareness about the plight of the Syrians, Afghanis, Iraqis, and many others who are fleeing in search of something safer than their homes can offer, we want to humanize their story. With that, in the next week, we will share their stories through our own experiences in hopes that you can understand, or at the very least take in who they really are. It was never about us, and we knew that, but that bold clash of images and feelings made that more clear than it had ever been before.

With over $60,000 raised in donations we are off to Greece! Thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal, spread the word about our cause, offered resources and most importantly to those who understood the importance of the plight of the refugees. We can’t wait to share out stories with you and begin our mission.

SURF is excited to welcome Lisa to our group. She will join us on our mission to help with the European refugee crisis.

At almost 58k dollars we are one week away from heading to Lesvos to support the refugee crisis. Tickets are purchased, accommodations have been booked, and our hearts and minds are ready for whatever our travels will bring us. We are still humbled by all the support we have received from friends, families, colleagues and strangers alike. It’s important to us we share our supportive efforts with our donors once we land in Lesvos. Check this website for regular updates about what we are doing with our time, how we are using your donations and the constant influx of the crisis at hand.

Everyone who donated to the SURF mission in December 2015 will receive a thank you letter and a receipt of your donation today, so you can use it for the 2015 tax year for tax deduction purposes. Donations made in 2016 will be delivered later and can only be used for the 2016 tax year. If you did not receive an email, or if there are any discrepancies in our records, please email Youssef directly at: youssefkubis@gmail.com.
Many thanks to all donors. Because of your generous donations, we reached a milestone of $50,000 in less than a month. Your donations are the biggest factor of the success of our mission. Thousands of refugees are depending on us, your donations will make a difference in their lives.

For millions of people, 2015 was a year full of challenges, sadness, pain, and grief. However, we want to start this chapter today with some positive notes and an appreciation for those who contributed to our cause and restored the trust and hope in humanity. We have received over $48,000 in donations to the Syrian United Refugee Fund (SURF), which will be used to support our mission to help the refugees directly in Greece. We will continue our fundraising campaign through the end of January when we depart to Lesvos Island. Thank you everyone for the donations, love and support, and may we all have a blissful and peaceful New Year.

We have received over $11,000 in donations in just a few days, and we also have committed pledges for over $12,000 from generous donors like you. We are planning on using the raised funds to buy tents, clothing, blankets, and foods and donating our time to help delivering them directly to the refugees.

We are only a few weeks away from our trip to Lesvos, the Greek island where 1,500 to 2,500 or more refugees from Syria and other conflict-related countries are arriving every day. Your donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference to these homeless refugees.

Check out our new page to find out more about Lesvos, the volunteer camps, and how we will be contributing our time and your money.

https://syrianunitedrefugeefund.wordpress.com/

Syria is approaching its fifth year in conflict, as reported by the United Nations. This conflict represents the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 50% of the population fleeing their homes, jobs, schools, family and everything they know in the hopes of finding somewhere safe to start a new life¹.

The onset of winter has made life even more difficult for these refugees who now must deal with cold, wet weather, and hunger. Lesvos Island in Greece is now home to an estimated 10,000 and growing number of refugees who currently receive no aid from any government. They are surviving solely on the donations and efforts of volunteers – and those resources are being quickly depleted.

On January 27, 2016 a group of friends from the San Francisco Bay Area will travel to Lesvos and spend two weeks volunteering our time and delivering supplies directly to the refugees. By doing this on a small scale, all of the funds we raise will go directly to helping those in need. For more information about where we are going and what we are doing you can go to the Lesvos volunteer website.

Air travel and lodging will be self-funded. 100% of the funds collected from your donation will be used for needed supplies to keep the refugees warm, dry, fed, and healthy. We will update our donors with photos, stories and progress as we continue our mission.

Thank you from your friends at the Syrian United Refugee Fund.

photo credit: http://lesvosvolunteers.com/about-us/

¹http://bit.ly/1mdJw6X