Tarrytown Teen Spearheads Syrian Refugee Effort

TARRYTOWN, NY — A Tarrytown high school student had what he describes as a life-transforming moment by traveling to Poland last summer and taking a piece of advice from Pope Francis. Michal Kozlowski, a student at Regis High School in Manhattan, heard the pope challenge Catholics to “get out of your comfy couches, and go make your dream into a reality.”

That made Kozlowski think about the plight of Syrian refugees which then led him to found, along with six of his closest friends, a group called Relief United.

According to a Regis spokesperson, the group’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for the humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighboring regions.

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Kozlowski credits the enthusiasm of his peers and the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the quick mobilization of their efforts. He says the group hopes to organize and rally teenagers in Westchester and New York City “under a common goal of helping our brothers and sisters in Christ in Syria.”

The results of the group’s efforts were on display April 28, when they hosted their first major event at Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow. The event, a music festival dubbed “Project Syria LIVE” featured entertainment, food, and opportunities to learn more about the refugee crisis in the Middle East. The event served as a fundraiser for CNEWA’s efforts in the region.

Kozlowski, who is one of five Regis students planning a service trip to Kibera this summer, says that the tuition-free tradition at Regis has instilled in him an amazing sense of gratitude. This gratitude has evolved into a firm belief in social justice, and that the gifts he has been given are meant to be shared with the whole world.

“If we don’t escape our little bubble of comfort and don’t venture into the world to help others, then we have wasted our life. We are given gifts by God not to waste, but to cultivate and spread across the world,” added Kozlowski.

“I have been given a lot in my life and it is my responsibility to give back. A life of service to others is a life to which we are all called.”

Photo credit: Courtesy.