A graffiti depicting the drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi in Sorocaba, Brazil

DETROIT – The photo of Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body on the shores of Turkey last week has moved the community to wish that we could do something about the plight of the Syrian people. But a Detroit man actually started an  initiative to help the refugees. 

Sam Jawad is using online crowd-funding to collect donations for Syrians. He more than $10,000 by Wednesday afternoon, five days after he started the campaign. 

Jawad was “caught up in an emotional moment” on his 31st birthday after witnessing images of the Kurdi family whose boat capsized in the Mediterranean en route to Greece. 

“I have always been very vocal with my opinions about Iraq and Syria,” Jawad said. “But words aren’t enough. I started a GoFundMe account to raise money for the refugees. Within three days, I raised 8,000. It struck a chord with a lot of people in the community.”

The aim of the campaign is to reach $10,000. But Jawad will not stop there. He will keep raising money until he mid-October, then pass the donations to a credible organization helping the refugees on the ground. 

Jawad, who owns trash removal company 1-888-Trash-It, said he plans to visit Lebanon’s refugee camps in October.

“I want to make sure that the money gets dispersed to the right organization,” Jawad told The Arab American News. “I am aggressively looking for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that directly serves the refugees. I want 100 percent of the funds to reach the children.”

The businessman called on Arab Americans to open their hearts, homes and wallets for the distressed people of Syria. 

“At the very least call your representatives in Congress and tell our leaders that we want to let in more of these refugees,” he said.

Jawad added that the United States and Europe have a moral duty to accept more displaced Syrians because of the role they have played in the war.

“This is not an Asian issue,” he said. “Not White or Black issue. This isn’t a Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Jewish tragedy. This is a human tragedy,” he said. “We all need to do something to help our fellow members of the human race.” 

Referring to Steve Jobs, whose biological father is Syrian, Jawad added, “We forget that it was a Syrian orphan who started Apple; who knows what will come out of these refugees?”

The donations to the GoFundMe account range from $20 to $1,000.

“I ask all my friends to please help me raise funds for the millions more like Aylan Kurdi that still need our help,” Jawad wrote in the GoFundMe account. “No amount is too little and 100 percent of all donations will go to help save our Lords most helpless. If for whatever personal reason you are unable to help donate please share this link. I will personally start off this fund by donating $500 myself.”

To sum up the spirit of the campaign, donors who identified themselves as Dennis and Renee Frangedakis, quoted American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

To donate, go to: http://www.gofundme.com/vy3f66fc