They launched a campaign to help settle refugees in the Chicago area.
Image via Dolan's Instagram
Some Americans chose to react to the Paris tragedy with embarrassing displays of xenophobia and bigotry, all targeted toward Syrian refugees. Others, however, chose compassion instead. Oakland A’s baseball player Sean Doolittle and his partner, Eireann Dolan, chose the latter. Yesterday, they invited 17 Syrian refugeee families to share in their Thanksgiving meal in Chicago, Dolan’s hometown.
“Chicago is so lucky to have 17 Syrian refugee families now officially calling it home,” Dolan wrote on her Instagram. “We thought we’d officially welcome them with one of our greatest American traditions, Thanksgiving. Thank you to Mayor Emanuel and Alderman Burke for joining the party!”
They are also inviting their fans and friends to do the same, launching a crowdfunding campaign to help sponsor Syrian refugee families who have arrived in Chicago. They’re working in conjunction with the Syrian Community Network, which is a “non-for-profit, refugee support organization that was formed by a dedicated group of Syrian American community members to support incoming and newly resettled Syrian refugees in the Chicagoland area.”
Doolittle and Dolan are actually professional do-gooders. Last summer, they made headlines when homophobic fans protested a Pride Night at an Oakland A’s game. They offered to buy up all their tickets and donate them to Our Space, a safe space for the Bay Area’s LGBTQ youth.
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