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Nikzad said his family is originally from Afghanistan, but moved to Turkey when his father was killed and his mother, who was a principal at a high school, received death threats. “She came to Turkey to be safe. She had 6,000 students and she was fighting for girls to study,” Nikzad said.Waite said Nikzad’s journey makes his story even more heartbreaking. He hopes that money from the fundraiser will help Nizkad’s family in Turkey and in Calgary.
“He is a contractor, so if he’s not working, he’s not making money. He’s been gone now for three weeks. He has his wife and eight-year-old son … he’s dealing with his brother and his sister, who have lost limbs. They are in for a hard road for themselves. “We’re going to do some things at the store with donation boxes. We’re going to do some sales here and profit-sharing — whatever we can. He’s not making money so we’re all going to chip in as best as we can to do whatever we can. But we know whatever we can offer … it’s not going to be enough,” Waite said.