As an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at the University of Utah, passionate humanitarian and adventure lover, Dr. Franklin started Hope Humanitarian in May 2016 in response to the world's refugee crisis. Service has always been an important part of her life, whether it is caring for abused animals, researching heart disease to be able to decrease cardiac-related deaths, or helping as many people as possible, in as many places as possible through Hope Humanitarian.
It all started with Aylan Kurdi, the adorable three-year-old who looked like he was sleeping on the beach. Except he wasn’t. He had drowned, along with his mother and brother, trying to flee a terrorist regime. When she saw Aylan's little body, Dr. Sarah Franklin knew she had to help. She hopped on a plane and went to serve in Greece, when Syrian refugees were at their peak, desperately fleeing a murderous regime. When she returned home, she immediately began the process to create a nonprofit organization that could do more to help refugees and Hope Humanitarian was born. The refugee population continues to climb and as of the end of 2020, there are some 82.4 million displaced people worldwide. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" Hope Humanitarian seeks to answer that question by serving those in acute need and by offering the opportunity for volunteers to join us in humanitarian trips.
The expedition in April 2021 was Hope Humanitarian’s first expedition since COVID-19 locked down the world. We had a great group of 14 volunteers and by the end, the entire team had become great friends, as is usually the case. Bonding over hard work, adventures and food is a recipe for solid friendships. Our group came with a variety of backgrounds but had several things in common: a desire to make a difference and a willingness to work hard.
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