Category: Arab American Culture
Growing up in Southwest Detroit, Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) fund-holder Rachid Elabed and his friends didn’t have a safe place to play outside. Drawing on his belief that youth everywhere should have a safe place to play and enjoy their childhood, Rachid is partnering with Neinas Elementary School and other community organizations to build a safe place for children to play in Southwest Detroit.
The park, which will be named the Alayna Elabed Brighter Neinas Community Park (named after Rachid’s daughter, Alayna) is located across the street from Neinas Elementary School. On May 13, as part of National Arab American Service Day, hundreds of Arab American teens and other community members worked diligently with Rachid to clean the park and its surrounding area in order to ensure the park is free of any dangerous obstacles for children.
Recently, Rachid partnered with several community members for an additional day of service dedicated to further tidying up the area, as well as helping to install various picnic tables, signs, and a sprinkler system to irrigate the park. For Rachid, this passion project is a part of a long history of community service. Rachid is a strong believer in giving back and investing in the community, and sees the Alayna Elabed Brighter Neinas Community Park as a way to invest in the children of the community.
As a way to support his dream project, Rachid established a donor-advised fund at CAAP. Rachid credits his fund as being a huge help towards achieving his goal, stating that CAAP gave him the resources and tools needed to make his dream a reality. CAAP is proud to support Rachid and his passion for community service.
Learn more about setting up a fund