![]() ![]() Each seat on the flight costs $1,500, and the effort is evacuating families. The money raised by the campaign will pay for aircraft, crews, and security operation teams. "What began as a grassroots fundraising effort has grown exponentially, and all funds will be used to ensure the safety of at-risk Afghans." Marcus described the evacuees as at "imminent risk of being executed by the Taliban." These include human rights lawyers, journalists, artists, interpreters, and advocates for women's and LGBTQ rights. Marcus partnered with Raven Advisory CEO Sheffield Ford, in addition to veteran advocates, to conduct an emergency flight rescue of Afghans who are "high-value targets" to the Taliban. Marcus launched his campaign on behalf of Raven Advisory, LLC, which performs sub-contract work for the U.S. (See a full list of verified campaigns below, and additional ways to support refugees here.) The hub includes GoFundMe's own $250,000 initiative to provide food assistance, aid to displaced people and schools, and support for on-the-ground journalists. GoFundMe is featuring it in a hub of several verified campaigns dedicated to Afghanistan relief efforts. The campaign raised more than $5 million in 24 hours. Quentin Quarantino (aka Tommy Marcus) launched Flyaway: Emergency Afghan Rescue Mission with the hope of ferrying more than 300 Afghans to safety, at the initial cost of $550,000. It also prompted critical questions about how the operation will work. Among them is an ambitious campaign launched by an Instagram influencer that raised millions of dollars in a day. "This Afghanistan effort is not going to be over for a while - we are aiming to save everyone we possibly can.In the days since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, people hoping to aid the country's refugees have turned to crowdfunding to finance various rescue and humanitarian efforts. "I just want to continue making a positive impact on the world," he says. "Once the virus became political, I felt a need to use my platform to speak out for causes I believed in for the good of our country and the world."Īs for what he'll use the quentin.quarantino account for in the future, Marcus doesn't have any set plans. "I’ve been making memes for four years, and as a very politically oriented person and an advocate for many social justice causes, was a natural fit," he says. "As of writing this, I have raised close to $7 million in 2021."Īnd while quentin.quarantino is still a relatively new platform, Marcus had previously grown a following on another meme account where he was able to gain an understanding of the power that can be leveraged on social media. All of my fundraisers have raised at least six figures," he says. "My first fundraiser was a three-day fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, which raised $1.2 million. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Days prior, however, Marcus was already using his Instagram platform to speak out about the imminent risk to Afghan citizens and even shared his thoughts in a post "liked" by over 55,000 people. It was on Tuesday that people across the world gained insight into the conflict in Afghanistan, as the Taliban seized power in the country just two weeks after the United States withdrew troops after a two-decade war. ![]() "I decided I would do something to help Afghanistan last week, but it took a lot of research, vetting, phone calls, Zooms, to figure out the right effort with the most just cause." "I have built a really emotional bond with my audience over the past year and a half, and it was only natural to step in and help," Marcus tells Yahoo Life of his latest fundraising efforts, which aim to fund emergency flight rescues for Afghans at risk. Little did the 25-year-old living in New York City know that just over a year later the Instagram account would be used for the greater good by raising millions of dollars to save lives in Afghanistan. Tommy Marcus started the meme account on the first day of New York City's coronavirus lockdown on March 13, 2020, as a way to cope with the "absurdity" of the pandemic, the quarantine to come and the mixed feelings of people across the globe. A meme artist whose meme account goes by the name raised over $5 million to help people in Afghanistan. ![]()
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