Amad Elzayat’s parents left Lebanon to come to Dearborn, Michigan with their family when he was seven months old. His mother stayed at home to raise six children while his father supported the family working two jobs, until he was injured and couldn’t work any longer. Although Elzayat’s family was poor growing up, he says…
The reputation attached to the pre-med lifestyle is no secret—difficult research labs, months in the library MCAT studying, and multiple emails to doctors asking for shadowing opportunities. Despite this already hectic schedule, pre-med student Abdul-Rahman Sulieman wanted to do even more. As an undergraduate, Abdul helped start MedEq at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan….
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…
We’d like to take this opportunity to give a warm ahlan wa sahlan to Maher Touma, the newest member to join the CAAP Advisory Board. Maher is the Chairman and CEO of CECA Supply & Services Inc, an oil and energy company located in Houston, TX. Maher is a seasoned businessman, and also a generous philanthropist. He is a supporter…
CAAP recently had the chance to speak with Nadine Makki, the Operations Manager at the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, an organization whose mission is to work with communities and their leaders to produce and preserve quality affordable housing. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to incredible innovation and unprecedented job growth,…
CAAP is pleased to welcome our newest Advisory Board member: Dr. Bassam H. Nasr. Dr. Nasr brings several years of experience in the community foundation field, and currently serves on the board of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, as well as several other boards in his local community of Port Huron, Mich. We…
Imagine being forced to leave your home and flee your country for your and your family’s safety. Imagine coming to a country with very little in terms of personal possessions, with limited support to assist you as you attempt to rebuild your life in a foreign land. Such is the reality of Syrian refugees forced…
We recently spoke with Yahya Alazrak, who currently serves as the National Organizer and Coordinator of POC Programs for Resource Generation, a nonprofit that organizes young people with wealth and class privilege in the U.S. to become leaders working towards the equitable distribution of wealth, land and power. Yahya, born in Morocco and moved to…
Adam Elkiwan is a recent graduate of Kansas State University, and currently serves as a Governance, Risk and Compliance Specialist at RSA Security, a cybersecurity division of Dell EMC. Adam generously took the time to answer some questions we had about giving in the Arab American community, and had some great thoughts to share! CAAP:…
A lover of humanity, Marwa Abdelghani has been dedicated to the welfare of others for much of her young life. Marwa, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Literary Journalism at the University of California – Irvine, advocates for numerous issues, such as women’s rights and Muslims in the media, and has been published in various…