OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS & VIEWS : Making a Difference a World Away

While most of the world has watched the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina with a feeling of helplessness, a determined few have taken action and made a difference.

Among them are Mazen Faysal and Ruba Kharuf.

The Santa Margarita High School sophomores were inspired when Randy McCord, their world history teacher, posted articles from The Times about Sonia Hagel of Huntington Harbour. Hagel, through the organization Operation Second Chance, has made repeated humanitarian trips to the former Yugoslav republic to aid the injured.

Faysal and Kharuf, both Muslims, sought support for Hagel’s efforts from others at their Catholic school in Rancho Santa Margarita and in surrounding communities.

“I wanted to help because it seemed like a practical way to reach out to the victims,” Kharuf said.

Phone trees were established to hospitals throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties in hopes that donations of hospital bedsheets or gowns, a rare commodity in the war zone, could be made. McCord started a daily money collection in his history classes and launched a letter-writing campaign to support hospital victims injured in the war.

Within five months, Faysal and Kharuf had gathered more than 400 hospital bedsheets and gowns. Last Friday, they packaged those supplies, hundreds of letters and about $130 and drove them to Santa Monica, where Operation Second Chance is located. The donations will be sent to a desperate hospital in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

McCord had high praise for the work of Faysal and Kharuf, citing their efforts as an excellent example of hard work and charity.

Faysal offered this advice to others: “Try to get involved with something; as long as you’re involved, it matters. You don’t have to be powerful or have a lot of money to make a difference.”

When asked if he is glad the project is over, he replied, “For me this in not the end, when the war is over I’ll stop. I just hope more high schools can give opportunities like this.”

For additional information on the program call (310) 458-2849 or write to “Operation Second Chance,” Sonia Hagel, 7605 Santa Monica Blvd., No. 685, West Hollywood, CA 90046.