Turkish volunteers in US rush to help Oklahoma tornado victims

A volunteer working for the Raindrop Foundation carries diapers for the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. (Photo: Orhan Akkurt)
A volunteer working for the Raindrop Foundation carries diapers for the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. (Photo: Orhan Akkurt)


Date posted: May 23, 2013

ORHAN AKKURT, NEW YORK

Turkish charity organization Raindrop Helping Hands, a subsidiary of the US-based Raindrop Turkish House, has been helping Americans suffering in the aftermath of a powerful tornado that hit Oklahoma on Monday, leaving 24 dead.

The Turkish charity first provided tornado victims with the most urgent needs such as food, water, gloves, diapers and clothes for babies and blankets.

Orhan Küçükosman, the chairman of the Raindrop Foundation, said the foundation started charity work immediately after the tornado, saying Turks living in the US are deeply saddened by the loss and damage caused by the tornado.

“Our hearts and thoughts go to all of those who were affected by the Tornado but people need more than that,” the foundation stated on its website, calling on people to make donations. Those who want to make donations can go to http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org. Funds collected through the Raindrop Helping Hands’ account will be delivered to the authorized people in the region.

The massive tornado that tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday wiped out blocks of houses, killed at least 24 people and injured about 240.

The death toll of 24 was lower than initially feared, but nine children were among the dead, including seven who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit by the deadliest tornado to strike the United States in two years.

SourceToday’s Zaman, May 22, 2013


Related News

Turks in US Ditto: Dialogue

The interfaith dialogue symposium organized by the Niagara Foundation, a Turkish community foundation in the United States, began on Thursday. The Chicago Interfaith Gathering sponsored by several American academic institutions and non-governmental organizations met at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Peacebuilders Conference – Call for Papers:

The Atlantic Institute, GA, is organizing a conference in partnership with the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. The conference’s main focus is non-violent peacebuilding, it is titled “Fostering Dialogues in Education, Ethics, and Non Violent Peacebuilding: Global Social and Religious Movements Today.”

Kimse Yok Mu cheers up Panamanian Orphans

The foundation built an additional facility for an orphanage in a far-flung corner of the country. The new facility came as a fresh air to the orphans living in squeezed rooms due to lack of space and beds.

Hizmet really has expanded my understanding of what it means to be human.

Kenneth Hunter is the Principal of the Prosser Career Academy High School. He studied theology at Chicago Loyola University and taught world religions in high schools. He served as the chairperson of Illinois State Board of Education Language Arts Assessment Advisory Council (2002-2012). He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.

Monday Talk with Michael Rubin on Trump, Iran and Turkey

There is a rule-of-law in the United States and a process which the president simply does not have the power to short-circuit. If Gulen is turned over, however, I suspect relations will get worse because the extradition will convince Erdogan that blackmail and bluster work.

New York Times Editorial Board: Turkey’s Relentless Attack on the Press

The family that owns Dogan Holding has long been influential in Turkey’s secular establishment and ran afoul of Mr. Erdogan’s Islamist-based A.K.P. Party in 2009. With the company targeted again and fearful of losing more assets, the newspaper Hurriyet is widely seen as pulling punches to appease Mr. Erdogan by firing journalists and quashing even mildly critical news stories.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Hizmet movement and Kurdish question in Turkey

EastWest Institute honors Gülen with 2011 EWI Peace Building Award

Scholarly views in the aftermath of the coup attempt: A responsible government would rather support the Hizmet Movement

Der Spiegel: Turkish consulate officials involved in spying activities not only in Germany

Islamic scholar Gülen says Turkey’s graft scandal can’t be covered up

World renowned NGO-rating Global Geneva stands by Kimse Yok Mu

Watch out! Anatolian Tigers on the prowl

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News