This past Thursday was, not to be cliché, epic. It was an epic EPIC evening at our Summer Benefit. Over 50 people came out to show their support and dozens more supported the event with a donation even though they themselves couldn’t attend.

By the end of the night, we had raised more than $7,000 for our work in Iraq. That was thanks in no small part to the stories shared by EPIC’s Executive Director Erik Gustafson and EPIC’s field representative in Iraq Christine van den Toorn. Both Erik and Christine have spent a lot of time in Iraq working with and alongside Iraqis. They’ve heard Iraqi parents talk about the opportunities they want their children to have, ones they didn’t get, to be part of rebuilding Iraq. They’ve heard from young Iraqis who long for opportunities to learn new things and experience different cultures.

Though so many young Iraqis have grown up knowing only isolation, suffering, and violence, they yearn to connect with each other and the rest of the world. They want opportunities to take part in that.

At EPIC’s Summer Benefit, van den Toorn and Gustafson described how the spirit and resilience of Iraqis has inspired their passion for EPIC’s work with young people in Iraq. In turn, they inspired the crowd.

Check out a Flickr slideshow of the event:

With our growing community of support, EPIC is ready to get our youth programs going. Join us with a donation.

EPIC is an organization empowering Iraqi youth to build a lasting peace.