Dear beloved Sacramento Healthcare Community, 

During one of the most challenging times to be a healthcare provider in recent memory, we believe that reflecting on our initial reasons for pursuing this career path--our empathy, our will to do good, and our belief in the commonality among us--can be restorative. This is especially pertinent as we prepare, as a Sacramento community, to receive an influx of refugees from Afghanistan--people who have lost more than many of us can ever understand. As leaders within our diverse Sacramento community, this is an opportunity for us to welcome these refugees with open arms and help them to get on their feet.  

Amidst a surging pandemic, ravaging wildfires, and disturbing images from the refugee crisis in Afghanistan, it may feel tempting to allow our collective despair to manifest as cynicism, especially as we continue our day to day lives. As healthcare workers who have answered and continue to answer the call to rise above this temptation, however, we seek opportunities to help. 

One especially powerful opportunity has presented itself with the arrival of Afghan refugees to Sacramento, which is already home to more Afghan refugees than almost anywhere in the country. We have a chance here to welcome these human beings who have lost their homes and experienced unthinkable trauma throughout a disastrous war lasting two decades--a war that many of us might have gone weeks or months without even thinking about. 

We ask that you donate, via this GoFundMe, to Opening Doors--an organization with a mission to empower refugees, immigrants, survivors of trafficking, and other disenfranchised members of our community that has been doing this vital work for almost 30 years. They provide case management and mentorship services to newly arrived refugees, culturally and linguistically appropriate financial education, career pathways support, as well as direct loans, pro-bono immigration legal services, trauma-informed counseling, and women's support groups. You can learn more about their mission and ongoing efforts at https://www.openingdoorsinc.org/. 

Together, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of these families who have lost so much. While we may not be able to give our time as we continue this battle against COVID, let us help those who have already been doing amazing work.  

Thank you for considering, and please, share this link in your networks so we can amplify our support for Afghan refugees.  

Photo: JAVED TANVEER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES