- Pin it
- SubscribeUnsubscribe
- Embed
Nicolle Hodges hasn't added a story.
Flights are booked and it finally feels real.
It’s an
ever-changing situation on the ground for volunteers. I don’t know if
I’ll end up in Lesvos cleaning the shoreline and helping those
arriving by boat, to Eidomeni where hundreds of refugees are arriving
daily with little food, to Pykpas where Greek anarchists are occupying
an old abandoned government building to provide temporary shelter for
the sick and injured, or to Turkey – the other side of the story -
where an estimated 2 million refugees are living, often too poor to
afford smugglers to make the journey elsewhere.
I don’t know where I’ll go, but I’m going; I’m diving in, I’m running headfirst into the fire with open arms. I can no longer do nothing when these people need to be loved and their stories need to be shared.
It was the day after I heard news of another boat sinking and people missing that this dam burst within my heart; hitting me with a force I couldn’t control and an emotional attachment to the situation I hadn’t recognized before.
I called my dad, with tears streaming down my face, and I told him
that I have to go help in any way I can. Fifteen minutes later he
called me back and said, “if you’re going, I’m going with
you.”
And that was that.
Between my friend Darcy at CTV, threads of e-mails, frantic messages, hours of research, and an extremely patient travel agent – it’s happening – 10 days after I made that call to my dad.
Seeing photos and videos of families reunited on the shoreline, children shivering and confused as they were lifted from a dingy, and the incredible volunteers already in the area, it became too real to ignore.
I understand that not everyone who wants to help can just book a ticket, so if you would like to donate, I will keep track of every. single. dollar. and make sure it gets to where it needs to go. This includes food, ferry tickets to help families reunite, accommodation, and potentially a rental car to help transport food, water, and clothing.
I may be the one going, but you can still come with me in some way; we're all in this together.
Perks
Highlights
See all activity32Activity
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.