I wish to congratulate Pacifica Institute of Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale, CA) for their Thanksgiving Benefit dinner on Saturday, November 22nd, at the Pacifica Community Center in Sunnyvale, CA.
I have often read about the plight of the Syrian refugees now numbering over 1.5 million in Turkey. This service program at the Pacifica Center helped to make the suffering of these refugees tangible and present to me. The documentary video presentation on the refugee camps in Turkey highlighted the growing number of families with small children who have fled the violence in Syria but who have no means of livelihood for their families.
The blanket drive initiated by Kimse Yok Mu in Turkey and the Pacifica Institute are excellent examples of how international non profit organization can mobilize citizens in diverse areas of the world to benefit refugees who have no immediate means of support available to them and no ability at this time to return to their homeland.
I am grateful to the Pacifica Institute for providing such a profound educational experience and to help us in the USA extend a helping hand to the Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Gerald Grudzen, PhD
San Jose City College
[Note from Pacifica: During through this event, there were 320 blankets donated. Thank you to all of our guests for their help and support]
