It’s a fair guess that most Americans, distracted by domestic affairs, don’t remember and leveled many communities that are still struggling to recover.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 7.8, hit Feb. 6. The second, registering 7.7, followed a short time later, about 60 miles from the first. They were among the most powerful and deadliest to hit the region in recorded history.
Part of the response to the catastrophe — a small but still important part — came from twin brothers Haktan and Enes Ozyildiz, 17-year-old seniors at Easton Area High School who traveled to Kilis, Turkey, to distribute food, clothing and shoes to children who had lost one or both parents.
The region is populated by native Turks and by Syrian refugees who have fled the long civil war in their homeland.
The brothers had been donating to relief efforts since the quakes, but they wanted to do more. Through a summertime GoFundMe campaign and community fundraising, they raised more than $2,200 to buy supplies.
In Kilis — a city of about 112,000 where their father, Kadir, grew up — the teens partnered with the Turkish Kizilay, or Red Crescent, the equivalent of the Red Cross in Muslim nations. Two Kizilay workers and a number of the brothers’ relatives joined the distribution.
They went door to door in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, focusing on children on a list provided by the Kizilay.
“We gave them jackets, shirts, pants, shoes,” Enes said. “We had snacks, too, mainly for kids we couldn’t give aid to because their names weren’t on the list.”
They also provided food to more than 80 stray cats and dogs living in the streets.
The mission was not without risk. The U.S. State Department says Americans shouldn’t travel to areas close to Syria because of terrorist activity. The Turkish government frequently detains people for alleged ties to terrorist groups, often on slim evidence.
The brothers knew this going in, but felt compelled to help children who knew hard times even before the earthquakes.
With winter approaching, for about a hundred more children to keep them warm.
The Ozyildiz family moved to Palmer Township two years ago from Somerset, New Jersey. Before the Turkey project, the brothers began helping Lehigh Valley veterans,
They said they inherited their charitable impulse from their parents, Kadir and Deniz, describing them as hardworking and generous people. Kadir, who owns a diner in the Poconos, started working at 13 when his father died, leaving him to help his mother raise two siblings.
“They’re our biggest inspiration,” Enes said. “They always said, ‘Get all the education you can and earn money so you can help people who really need it.’ ”
The twins aim to do just that. Enes is deciding whether he want to pursue computer science or medicine. Haktan plans to study finance and accounting.
Wherever their careers lead, they intend to keep the charity going.
“We want to do something bigger and help more kids,” Haktan said. “We want to do truckloads.”
To contribute to the brother’s winter fundraising campaign, go to GoFundMe.com and search: Support E&H Hopeful Hearts: Winter Aid for Turkish Orphans.
Morning Call reporter Daniel Patrick Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6598 or dsheehan@mcall.com
