[Note from FundRazr Team]
SERA set up another FundRazr campaign at this address: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/fYwZb. It was used to collect money for Peter's trip to Syria and is still active.
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My name is Peter Kassig, I am a 24 year old from Indiana who started
a non-profit organization called Special Emergency Response and
Assistance (SERA).
I am a veteran of the Iraq war who is living in Beirut working
to provide relief for refugees of the Syrian crisis.
When I first started this cause to help those in need, I was on
my own but I saw first hand the shortages in available resources and
supplies for people who were suffering in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey
as a result of the violence.
After volunteering my time and skills as a medic in a hospital
in Tripoli, Lebanon, CNN covered my work in a story.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/20/world/meast/syria-us-soldier/index.html
The amount of feedback and support from people all around the
world motivated me to get organized and develop a platform through
which people could send donations to support the continuation of my
work.
This is what led me to create SERA, an organization which is
designed to be a front line, grassroots NGO that works directly with
the populations it serves..and we need YOUR help.
I felt that more could be done to help people and that the most
effective way to bring assistance was through a close connection to
those who were in desperate need, by meeting them where they were.
I also felt that through a personal reliationship and a small
yet efficient organization, I could offer people a high level of
tranparency and integrity in the ways I used funding and the
activities that SERA engages in to help people.
We may not have much but I have always felt that the reasons why
you do something are as important as what you do. This is about making
a difference not just through material goods, but also the exchange of
ideas and experiences that the interanational community benefits from
through this type of iniative.
Thank you all for your support and interest in my work and in
the future of SERA and our efforts to bring immediate assistance to
those who need it most. Please don't forget about the all of the
people out there who have less than us and remember that every little
bit goes a very long way in desperate situations.