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Drive for a Drive!
Note from member Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
Hi everyone,
The LJCC is gearing up to raise funds to help purchase a car for a refugee family from Afghanistan. Hassan, Shakira, and their four children arrived here in November, thanks to Lawrence’s Assistance to Immigrants and Refugees (AIR) organization, after Hassan — upon sharing a Facebook post advocating for women’s education and employment — had to go into hiding from the Taliban for three years.
Like many in the room when we heard Hassan speak at a recent Shabbat service, I felt moved to support this family in some tangible way. In light of the national horrendousness upon us with all its chaos, disruption, disorientation, and damage, I feel especially called to help this family, and I’m thinking you may feel the same way.
We’re living in a time when, as a guy named Dr. Jeff explains it on Instagram, our sphere of concern just about infinitely outsizes our sphere of influence. Often, I feel so powerless to stop the painful and insane things happening to people, institutions, systems, and programs in my community and across the country, and I’m guessing many of us are also awake at 4 a.m. in fear, panic, or despair.
Yes, we can show up at meetings and demonstrations, make our five calls regularly, listen to and comfort each other, but a project like this — helping a real family in need cultivate a real home among us — feels distinctly real and meaningful.
Ken and I just gave way more than we usually can donate to important causes, and I’m writing to personally encourage you to consider making a gift too — maybe $50, maybe $500. While our initial community goal is to raise a total of $4,000 (and the board already contributed $2,000 toward that), the AIR organization really needs a total of $10,000 to match the $8,000 they already have for a vehicle big enough for a family of six. Let’s show them what love can do here!
To do so, please go to the LJCC donation page — https://ljcc.shulcloud.com/payment.php, click on “donation” next to “Payment is for,” and then in the “type” box, scroll on the drop-down menu to “Tikkun Olam/Mitzvah,” and make your gift in what we’re calling “the drive for a drive.”
Thanks for considering joining me in this, and please pass this onto others who might be so moved to support Hassan and Shakira’s family too.
With deep wishes for peace, justice, and sanity to prevail,
Caryn
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