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Raindrop Foundation raises money for earthquake relief with festival

In total, they raised $15,000 with their festival on Saturday.

SAN ANTONIO – The death toll in the Turkish and Syrian earthquakes is continuing to rise.

As of Thursday, over 47,000 people have died.

It’s inspiring acts of kindness and giving here at home. On Saturday, the Raindrop Foundation held a festival to raise money for earthquake relief.

“I love how they’re going to send the money to Turkey about the earthquake,” Saadet, a child attending the festival, said.

“I can talk to my friends about the earthquake and that makes me feel like, good and relieved,” Azra, another child, said.

It was a sea of smiling children, food, and celebration of Turkish culture at the Raindrop Foundation’s festival.

”We always really do these events for a cause anyway but this one, it really means a lot to me. My own father is from the region and but thank God we didn’t lose anybody,” Fatma Arslam, a volunteer, said.

It’s been several weeks since the initial earthquake on February 6th that brought down buildings and claimed the lives of thousands.

Two other earthquakes struck this week, so the foundation is raising money to send to the region with this fundraiser.

”It’s a tragic thing but it has also brought the world together, San Antonians together,” Armen Babajanian, CEO of the World Affairs Council, said.

For Mehtap Yakisan, this tragedy feels more personal.

Not only is she from the region hit by the first quake, but she also lost her brother, sister-in-law, 45-day-old nephew, and two members of her in-law’s family.

“So my parents try to remove the debris for three days with their own hands,” Yakisan said through a translator. “And on day four and five, we were able to reach their corpses.”

Yakisan couldn’t travel to Turkey for their funerals. She had to watch them through video call.

She said her brother was an angel who always wanted to do the best for others.

“She said this world not good enough for him. So that’s why we believe he went to the Heaven,” Yakisan said.

While she and her family grieve, they’re thankful for the support from the world and here in her new home.

“I think those people after an earthquake need both spiritual and physical help and financial help. They need all help,” Yakisan said.

If you couldn’t make it to the festival, the Raindrop Foundation is partnering with Embrace Relief, a nonprofit helping to deliver humanitarian aid and disaster relief.


About the Authors
Leigh Waldman headshot

Leigh Waldman is an investigative reporter at KSAT 12. She joined the station in 2021. Leigh comes to San Antonio from the Midwest after spending time at a station in Omaha, NE. After two winters there, she knew it was time to come home to Texas. When Leigh is not at work, she enjoys eating, playing with her dogs and spending time with family.

Gavin Nesbitt headshot

Gavin Nesbitt is an award-winning photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He won a Lone Star Emmy, a Regional Murrow, a Texas Broadcast News Award, a Headliners Foundation Silver Showcase Award and 2 Telly Awards for his work covering the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

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