Refugee Relief- Greece (Macey)
Donation protected
Hello!
My name is Macey Hallstedt, I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am teaching English in Spain this year and found myself fortunate enough to have the time and funds to travel to Greece over Christmas 2015 to volunteer for a week on Lesbos, the island that is receiving the majority of refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. I will be working with an organization called Volunteer Lesvos.
For an easy to understand break-down of exactly what is going on in Syria, read this. I am not politically minded in the slightest, and it helped me make sense of everything.
I found myself inspired by stories like these ones...
Captain's table - restaurant turned refugee shelter
Lesvos is a waiting hell
...and immediately purchased a plane ticket and started packing my camping gear.
I am not sure yet in exactly what ways I will be volunteering (I think it all depends on what is needed from moment to moment), but I intend to use this GoFundMe as a way to make a direct impact. For example: if I see a family that is cold and hungry, your money would go towards buying them food and blankets. If I encounter someone who needs medical assistance, your money would go toward buying them a bus ticket or a taxi to the nearest hospital and some affordable medicine. I wish I could collect gently-used blankets and other pre-existing resources, but given airline luggage limits and my current location in Europe, this is a bit unrealistic.
I am not sure about you, but I am sometimes wary about donating to charities because you never know exactly where your money is going. Too many times we have heard about donors' hard-earned money going to the wrong places, and that is exactly what I would like to avoid. I plan to write and (if ethical) take photos of my experiences there and the people I meet. Stories will be published on my blog when I write them (probably in January).
If you find yourself inclined to donate, please follow the GoFundMe instructions and rest assured that your money is going to the right places. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, whatever, please send me a message via Facebook or GoFundMe.
My name is Macey Hallstedt, I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am teaching English in Spain this year and found myself fortunate enough to have the time and funds to travel to Greece over Christmas 2015 to volunteer for a week on Lesbos, the island that is receiving the majority of refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. I will be working with an organization called Volunteer Lesvos.
For an easy to understand break-down of exactly what is going on in Syria, read this. I am not politically minded in the slightest, and it helped me make sense of everything.
I found myself inspired by stories like these ones...
Captain's table - restaurant turned refugee shelter
Lesvos is a waiting hell
...and immediately purchased a plane ticket and started packing my camping gear.
I am not sure yet in exactly what ways I will be volunteering (I think it all depends on what is needed from moment to moment), but I intend to use this GoFundMe as a way to make a direct impact. For example: if I see a family that is cold and hungry, your money would go towards buying them food and blankets. If I encounter someone who needs medical assistance, your money would go toward buying them a bus ticket or a taxi to the nearest hospital and some affordable medicine. I wish I could collect gently-used blankets and other pre-existing resources, but given airline luggage limits and my current location in Europe, this is a bit unrealistic.
I am not sure about you, but I am sometimes wary about donating to charities because you never know exactly where your money is going. Too many times we have heard about donors' hard-earned money going to the wrong places, and that is exactly what I would like to avoid. I plan to write and (if ethical) take photos of my experiences there and the people I meet. Stories will be published on my blog when I write them (probably in January).
If you find yourself inclined to donate, please follow the GoFundMe instructions and rest assured that your money is going to the right places. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, whatever, please send me a message via Facebook or GoFundMe.
Organizer
Macey Hallstedt
Organizer
Plasencia
