Turkey Earthquake Supplies - Alex & Veronika Ilgin

*** Proceeds going directly to purchasing supplies for affected families in Türkiye who have lost everything. A portion of the proceeds will go to Alex and Veronika's surviving family ***

My name is Billy. I am at a loss as to how or why this happened, but my best friend and his wife have been found in the rubble in Iskenderun, Turkey, along with his mother and other family members. Their building, along with countless others, collapsed when the earthquake struck on February 6.

Orlando resident Alex Ilgin and I met in a not so typical fashion. Even though I’ve never been a big partier, a girl invited me to one and I agreed to go in an effort to unwind a bit. When I got there, Alex and I met and he was in the exact same situation! The joke was, we went to the party with girls but went home with each other. After that, we became fast friends and spent much of our free time together. We went through many ups and downs and got each other out of many jams.

Alex and Veronika were recently married and were visiting family in his homeland Turkey. They had such high hopes of growing this family in the very near future. Both had an incredibly strong faith in God. Alex held a weekly Bible study and had a passion for spreading the Word, which led him to be incredibly charitable.

Alex fell on hard times after the mortgage crash in 2008 and even then, when he was at his lowest, losing every single asset he owned, and with no paycheck in sight, I still would watch him give to people in need on the streets. He never said no. Those who knew him, knew he was a stubborn man in his own way, but also knew he was kind and would always offer his help. He always knew how to make anyone laugh.

Veronika was an incredible woman. Alex would tell me he could not believe how lucky he was and all of his friends agreed with this. He would always speak so fondly of her while we were discussing business and other unrelated matters and I couldn’t help but point it out to him. He was far more in love with her than we all knew. She truly was always on his mind and I know he couldn’t believe how fortunate he was. She would decorate the home for every holiday (something that Alex secretly loved) and Alex would constantly tell me how much Veronika surprised him with every passing day. He had so many things planned for her for the future. Veronika was such a kind and compassionate woman and the two of them complemented each other perfectly.

The people of Turkey NEED supplies, blankets, coats and shelter. If Alex were here, I cannot imagine the lengths he would be going to to help his family, friends, neighbors, and community. I feel obligated to ensure the local communities get all the help they can get. Even a few dollars helps.

Some of the money collected here will go directly to Alex and Veronika’s surviving family members and a majority will be sent DIRECTLY to affected families in Turkey who have lost everything and desperately need supplies. Due to the scale of the disaster, there are no ceremonies or funerals being held. If you feel led, please join me in donating in memory of Alex and Veronika.

I cannot believe I had to write this but please share and make Alex & Veronika proud of the USA, the country that they chose to call home.