Our family is raising money for a cause we are very passionate about -- the Syria Refugee Crisis. Syria and its people are close to our hearts. Damascus was our first assignment in the Foreign Service and we quickly fell in love with the country and the Syrians we had the pleasure of meeting. 

Now, living in Sarajevo, we aren't far from the humanitarian crisis that is taking place as refugees - not just from Syria either - flow into Serbia and try desperately to make their way into the EU. 

We have friends at World Vision in Sarajevo who are currently working the refugee crisis along the Serbian border with Croatia, Hungary and Bosnia & Herzegovina. We've heard first-hand and have seen photos of thousands of ill, tired and hungry refugees, including children and pregnant women, sleeping in makeshift camps in the freezing cold as they wait to cross the border.

I asked my friend - who is the director of World Vision in Sarajevo - what we could do as a family to help? During our conversation, she mentioned to me that she saw so many refugees who were cold and didn't have proper covering for their feet. She wanted to go and buy them fresh, clean, warm winter socks. The idea for the "Sock Drive" was born. Our kids will be presenting this project to their school in mid-November and will be collecting socks there as well as at other collection points in Sarajevo.

We realize that there are many people who want to help, but aren't here to donate socks. So we are also setting up this donation page where you can make donations directly to World Vision's effort to help positively impact this crisis. As World Vision states, this is the greatest humanitarian disaster of this century and every contribution will help.

Your help will provide refugess with food, safe water to drink, emergency supplies, access to basic healthcare and education, and will provide Child Friendly Spaces to give traumatized kids a safe space to play. (A friend of ours actually works in these Child Friendly Spaces in Serbia!!)

Thank you for your support!

P.S. You can also help us raise awareness of this issue by watching and sharing these videos (below).