Ruck for Refugees - Afghan Interpreter assistance

Robert Koenig is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Shafiq Mubarak.

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WHAT IS RUCK FOR REFUGEES?

KMTV 3 News Now summary:

https://youtu.be/bl0AepzzyFA

When I was in Afghanistan in 2004 as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, one dedicated interpreter went above and beyond in keeping myself and my fellow servicemen and servicewomen alive. He is now a Deputy Sheriff in Sarasota, Florida. The remainder of his family fled the Taliban just as the country was collapsing in August 2021.

Deputy Mubarak's extended family has been resettled here in the USA- but now face the additional hurdle of housing. The family is currently living at an army base in Texas. We plan to help secure an apartment complex or multifamily property for the entire 33 member family (mostly children) of Deputy Mubarak's five brothers and sisters. They are being moved out of military base housing imminently and Sarasota housing needs to be secured by October 31, 2021.

Your donation will directly assist this family, immediately.

By doing a Ruck for Refugees march from my home near Omaha to my family's hometown in Hartington, Nebraska - which coincidentally is the same 140 miles the Afghan family had to travel to escape the Taliban - I hope to raise money that will allow them to get started as a large family unit in Sarasota, Florida.

It is my honor and my passion to help the family of the man who saved my life. Achieving our financial goals would help us to secure adequate housing and would mean they are able to stay together, assist each other, and be near Deputy Sheriff Mubarak. We believe a strong housing situation in Sarasota will provide the stability this family needs to be successful in rebuilding their lives and careers in the United States.

Please follow me and donate as I ruck (a military hike with a pack) from just outside Omaha, Nebraska to Hartington, Nebraska. While it will be difficult, it pales in comparison to what this family has experienced just to get here safely and get here together.

Deputy Mubarak gave so much and risked his life and his family's life to assist U.S. special operations forces in a fight against the Taliban and the terrorists who planned and conducted the events of 9/11//2001. Please join me in honoring his service to our country by helping his family.