Clean Your Closets For Earthquake Victims

Last week, The Roslyn News featured an article on Nadia Sayed, the Roslyn resident who is raising funds to assist a Ukranian violin maker exiled from his home country after his hometown, Mariupol, was captured by Russian forces in that ongoing war between those two nations.
Now another Roslyn area youngster has begun her own charity campaign to assist those in Turkey and Syria still reeling from the devastating earthquake that hit both countries.
Eliza Liebowitz, a ninth grade student at Roslyn High School, has organized an emergency medical supply drive to help aid those same earthquake victims. Eliza is the founder of Clean Your Closets Out For Children, also known as Triple C New York. The mission of this organization is to collect items no longer in use and give them to those less fortunate due to poverty, illness, natural disasters or war. In this way, Eliza says, items are given a second life and put to good use while being diverted from landfills.
Liebowitz partnered with the Village of East Hills, where she lives, and Temple Sinai of Roslyn, where she is a member, to seek out items both new and gently used. She expanded her usual task of just children’s supplies to cover additional items for all ages. Eliza felt that this endeavor was a natural extension of her organization’s original mission. She worked with Mayor Michael Koblenz of East Hills and Lulu Belferder, the director of Youth and Teen Engagement at Temple Sinai, who she said helped her get the word out to the community.
Liebowitz stated that she was overwhelmed by the response from her community and noted that the donations were incredibly generous.
“The Roslyn community always steps up for important causes when asked to do so,” she said.
One of the items she was most excited about receiving were the thousands of assorted character-themed Band Aids for the youngest survivors of the earthquake. She said she is hoping that they will put a smile on a child’s face even if just for a moment during an otherwise very sad time.
At the East Hills meeting, Liebowitz announced the ongoing collection drive. She noted that the earthquakes have captured the world’s attention. The earthquake hit both Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6. The epicenter, according to published reports, was 37 km (23 miles) west–northwest of Gaziantep. It had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (Extreme) in parts of Antakya in Hatay Province. It was followed by a Mw 7.7 earthquake at 13:24. This earthquake was centered 95 km (59 mi) north-northeast from the first. There was widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities. Experts said it was the largest earthquake in Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake and the second-strongest recorded in the history of the country, after the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake. Experts added that it was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant. It was felt as far as Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and the Black Sea coast of Turkey. There were more than 10,000 aftershocks in the three weeks that followed.
According to the media, an estimated 14 million people, or 16 percent of Turkey’s population, were affected. United Nations experts estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless.
As of the middle of March, the media reported that more than 55,700 deaths were confirmed. That included more than 48,400 in Turkey, and more than 7,200 in Syria. In all, it was the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the fifth-deadliest of the 21st century. Economists set the damages at over $100 billion in Turkey and $5.1 billion in Syria.
All items collected during the drive will be delivered to the AFYA Foundation warehouse in Yonkers where the items will be sorted and then shipped directly to Turkey and Syria.
According to village officials, AFYA is requesting wound care, rehabilitation and orthopedic supplies to support the tens of thousands estimated to have sustained life-threatening injuries from the earthquakes. Items requested for patients of all ages include: Canes, Commodes, Crutches, Knee Scooters, Raised Toilet Seat Rollators and Toilet Seat Risers, Shower & Bath Chairs, Wheelchairs, Walkers, Abdominal Pads, Antibiotic Cream, Antiseptic Solutions & Wipes, Band Aids (Any Size), CAT Tourniquet, Cold Packs, Elastic Bandage, First Aid Kits, Gauze: sterile rolls/pads (Any Size), Occlusive Gauze, Medical Tape (Any Size), Non-Adherent Pads, Petrolatum Gauze, Plaster Bandages, Silver Wound gel, Steri-Strip, Sterile Suture (Any Size or Material), Suture Removal Kit, Tegaderm (Any size), Undercast Padding, Xeroform, Orthopedic Boot, Abdominal Binder Brace, Arm & Shoulder Brace, Knee Brace, Cervical Collar, Casting Material: Specialist, Plaster Bandage with Extra Fast Setting, Foam Positioning, and Slings.
Wound care items should be new in their original unopened packaging and not expired. Rehabilitation and orthopedic supplies must be new or in very good condition, cleaned/disinfected and without damage.
Eliza Liebowitz has requested that donors remember the children who have been affected by this tragedy by including a box or two of band aids with cute designs and characters on them.
AFYA Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in Yonkers. It was founded in 2007 by Danielle Butin, MPH, OTR after a trip to Tanzania, where she encountered the dire circumstances and severely limited medical resources of their medical clinics. AFYA which means “good health” in Swahili seeks to spread “Good Health Through Giving,” and does so by providing medical supplies, consumables, sustainable equipment, and community outreach supplies to international health clinics.
The foundation customizes shipments to ensure that items are delivered to areas needing them most. This is crucial in medical emergencies when healthcare workers do not have time to sort through items. It works with those already on the ground in impacted regions to identify needs and take immediate action.
Should you have additional questions, Eliza can be reached at 516-458-0390 or via her instagram page: @cleanyourclosetsoutforchildren. For weekend or after hour drop offs, please contact Eliza Liebowitz to make arrangements.
You can follow Eliza on Instagram via: @cleanyourclosetsoutforchildren.
—Information provided by Donna Liebowitz