Ahmed & Sevda
Visitors: Ahmet (left) and Sevda (right)
Two visitors from Turkey are grateful to VASH after the assistance we provided. During their visit to “Paradise”, Ahmet and Sevda became victims of theft. The incident happened at Waimanalo Beach Park. Their rental car was broken into and their personal belongings were stolen. With no money and no identification (especially their passports), their visit to Hawaii wasn’t so “Paradise” after all.
VASH to the rescue…our office provided moral support, meal coupons, goodie bags, and assistance in getting their replacement passports. VASH even went so far as arranging transportation, with assistance from Travelers Aid of Los Angeles, for Ahmet and Sevda in Los Angeles to go to the Turkish consulate for their passports in order to return home.
In the picture above, Ahmet and Sevda are both smiling from the hospitality and the true Aloha spirit that the VASH staff bestowed upon them. Their tears of sadness and frustration from the unfortunate incident turned into ones of gratitude.
Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Ahmet to VASH:
“Hi…This is Ahmet. I hope I am sending to the right mail address. We are in Turkey and we are good. Thanks a lot for everything that you did for us. Without your helps we couldn’t go the airport. Words are not enough to describe how thankful we are to you.”
Ahmet and Sevda (Turkey)